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SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 



Captain Guynemer 



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SKY FIGHTERS 
OF FRANCE 

AERIAL WARFARE, 1914-1918 

BY LIEUTENANT HENRY FARRE 

II 

Englished by Catharine Rush 

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 
FROM PAINTINGS BY THE AUTHOR 




boston and new york 
Houghton Mifflin Company 

The Riverside Press Cambridge 
MCMXIX 






COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY HENRY FARRE 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



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©CI.A529034 



Aa.A i 



CONTENTS 

Introduction, by Captain Heurtaux, Captain de Kerillis, 

Captain Roeckel, and Lieutenant Partridge . . . ix 

I. The Storm breaks 3 

II. Aviation 12 

III. My First Flight 23 

IV. Night Flying 28 

V. On the Road to Nancy 36 

VI. Bombing Raids 42 

VII . Night Bombarding — Autrecourt , near Verdun — Spring ,1916 53 

VIII. Partridge 65 

IX. Observation Flying 69 

X. Aerial Photography 75 

XI. At DuNKERquE, March, 1916 80 

XII. Bombarding of Zeebrugge *. . 83 

XIII. Sea- Aviators 90 

XIV. Torpedoing a Submarine 94 

XV. At Cachy 99 

XVI. With the Stork Escadrille . 105 

XVII. A Delightful Evening 117 

XVIII. Guynemer 124 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Captain Guynemer Colored Frontispiece 

Lieutenant Henry Farre 4 . 

The Author's Cards of Identification 8^ 

Destruction of Drachen Balloons 24 ^ 

Aviation Field, Plateau of Malzeville, Nancy 38 

Bombardment of Karlsruhe by the First Bombardment Group . .42-^ 

Bombardment of Dillingen by the First Bombardment Group . . 46 

Tragic Return of Captain Albert FfiquANT 50 

Night Bombardment of the Gare des Sablons, Metz . . . .54 

Return FROM A Night Bombardment — Landing-Field . . . .58 

Night Bombardment and Explosion of an Enemy Ammunition Dump at 
Coucy-les-Eppes 62' 

Lieutenant Partridge 66-^ 

Twin-Motor Caudron signaling the Position of Infantry and taking 
Photographs, Somme, i916 70 

Victory of Navarre, Verdun, 1916 72, '' 

Farman Biplane observing the Destruction by the Fire of the Allied 
Artillery of the Enemy Trenches and other Defenses at the Mort 
Homme, Verdun, i916 76 "^ 

Exploit of Captain Bone, the English Aviator, over the North Sea, 

1915 80 

Bombardment of the Mole and Port of Zeebrugge, 1916 . . . 84 ^ 

[ vii] 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Exploit of Pilot Routier, Maritime Aviation of DuNKERquE . . 88y 

Hydroplane aiding Another in Distress, Maritime Aviation of Dun- 

KERqUE, 1916 92"/ 

Bombardment of an Enemy Submarine by an F.B.A. Hydroplane, 

North Sea, 1916 96 ^ 

William Thaw 100^ 

Raoul Lufbery 104 -i 

Exploit of Lieutenant de la Tour : Combat in Circle at 6500 Meters 

Altitude 120 

A Victory of Guynemer's 124 ' 

Another Victory of Guynemer's 128 



INTRODUCTION 
By 

CAPTAIN HEURTAUX CAPTAIN de KERILLIS 

CAPTAIN ROECKEL 

LIEUTENANT PARTRIDGE 

I 

October Q 7 Z,i9i7'2 
Dear Chief: 

I am very much behind in writing to you, and I hope you will ex- 
cuse my long silence. I have just gone through a very trying time 
and have suffered much with my wounds, owing to supervening com- 
plications. Now I am finally able to pull through and somewhat re- 
established in health, and I am attempting to make up for lost time. 

You have asked me for a story of a fight in the air, and I am going 
to narrate one of my latest experiences, although it is not of a very 
recent date. You know that I had no sooner returned to the front 
than I was again wounded. 

We had just arrived in a new locality. The first days were passed 
in arranging our hangars, and particularly in very carefully over- 
hauling our machines, which had considerably run down during our 
long period of activity. 

On several occasions already, the Boches had been flying over our 
heads, taking advantage of our forced inaction. From the ground we 
could distinguish their black crosses, not without cursing our ina- 
bility to pursue them. Finally, the machines were ready ; it was beau- 
tiful weather — not a cloud in the sky. A strong wind was blowing 



INTRODUCTION 

but it was at least favorable for an excursion against the enemy. 
I had great hopes, therefore, of being able to give him battle and to 
return without being too much knocked up. Everything was care- 
fully straightened out on board. I got in and was trying the motor 
when suddenly some white tufts appeared over our heads, and in their 
midst — a plane; no doubt about it; it was an enemy, arriving just at 
the proper time. 

I let go in all haste, without losing sight of the bursting shells which 
gave me my proper course. I went up as rapidly as possible; the 
motor worked beautifully, so I could soon make out my enemy. It 
was without question a reconnoitering plane, flying around over its 
objective, taking photographs. So much the better ! In that case the 
observer would be less likely to notice my presence. 

I tried out the machine gun and tested all my instruments for the 
last time, as I had arrived in the danger zone. Everything was going 
well, and all I had to do was to begin the fight. 

The Boche was about eight hundred yards off — seven hundred 
yards yet to run before opening fire. I approached him rapidly ; a 
few little white clouds appeared ia front of me ; I was discovered. 
The gunner had already commenced firing; it looked as if the fight 
would be a hot one, and I began zigzagging at once, so as to destroy 
his aim. The little white tufts were growing farther and farther away ; 
all was well. Our distance apart diminished more and more. 

The machine-gun volleys now lasted longer, a good sign that the 
enemy was getting excited. We still drew together, and I could make 
out clearly the shapes of the pilot and passenger ; but I saw I must 
get closer. Finally I could see the face of the machine-gunner very 
clearly. I was at good range, and it was now my turn to reply. At the 
first shot the Boche commenced to fire, then to dive more and more. 

The two machine guns rattled away without pause, and the enemy 
tried in vain to escape, until after some sharp turns his machine sud- 

1^1 



INTRODUCTION 

denly began to descend — the pilot must have been shot — and this 
maneuver of his brought me very suddenly into his arc of fire. A 
few shots — sudden noises around me — a violent blow in the left 
leg — am I wounded ? I shake myself, but can't discover anything; 
I am flooded with water, with gasoline; a sudden moment of fear — 
shall I take fire ? No smoke, thank God ! 

And now what had become of my adversary ? These few seconds 
had given him time to take a fresh position. My motor stopped ; how 
should I be able to continue the fight ? Luck followed me, however ; 
the Boche at once began to turn his nose down. I flew in his wake, 
joined him, and so took up a most beautiful commanding position. 
Again I commenced firing at him, never letting him go. We fell ver- 
tically, going like mad. The machine gun crackled incessantly, but 
the enemy never replied. Finally my ammunition gave out; I had 
to abandon my prize. 

It was now high time to think of myself and to select a landing- 
place, not an easy thing to find in this hilly region. I finally discov- 
ered a little strip of land close to a wood ; it was the only possible 
place. The high wind allowed me to come to earth slowly in the 
midst of holes and logs, which I finally did without accident. I jumped 
out of my machine in haste, and found it in a very sad condition, in- 
deed, completely unfit for service. As for me, some shots had gone 
through my teddy bear. I was fully repaid by my adventure. 

A little while later, an automobile picked me up and took me back 
to camp. There I found — with much pleasure — that my German 
had fallen within our lines, and was still burning on the ground. I 
went to look at the wreck, and that same night started out to look for 
a new machine which would allow me to begin again. 

Good-bye, my dear Chief. I hope that luck will favor us and that 
we may soon see each other again. I send you a cordial handshake. 

Heurtaux 

[ xi ] 



INTRODUCTION 

II 

Why do we Bombard? 

March 9, 1917 

To bring home to the Boches the anguish, the suffering, and the 
sorrow of war; to make their sufferings hke our own; to avenge our 
women, our innocent children assassinated by them — to kill, to 
kill many ! 

To paralyze their industrial life; to quench the life of their 
factories; to strike the workman at the anvil; to strike terror into 
their workshops ; to block them in the air — to destroy, always to 
destroy ! 

To reduce their aerial force ; to dominate them in an attack ; to hold 
them on the defensive ; to fight them and to conquer them at home ; 
to have the mastery of the air, their air and ours — to strike with- 
out ceasing ! 

JVhy do we bombard ^ 

In order to save ourselves. 

ffJiy do we bombard ^ 

So that in their ruined towns, they also shall remember ! 

DE Kerillis 

III 

July 31, 191 
My dear Farre : 

You have asked me for something on army corps aviation, and more 
especially on aviation in connection with the control of artillery fire. I 
am going to give you, as far as I am able, all I know about this in a 
few words. 

As a general rule, people know nothing about this class of aviation 



INTRODUCTION 

work. Whatever may be the special employment of the aviator, be it 
fire-control, photography, bombarding, or reconnaissance work, he is 
invariably asked these questions : Have you brought down your Boche ? 
How many Boches have you brought down ? Where is your Croix de 
Guerre ? The knowledge of most people is limited to those questions. 

As to the simple fighter, who is a spectator every day of the work 
of planes of every kind, he sees them — these gallant fire-control 
planes — right over him and not very high up either, proceeding easily 
and in all tranquillity, seemingly moored to the particular patch of 
ground over which they are working; but this regular going and 
coming becomes very monotonous to the onlooker. 

It requires a little pursuit plane — swift and handy to bear down 
on them, to place them in the limelight. Sometimes a few shots of 
105's, bursting at the height of these control planes, will lend a little 
interest to the scene, and the spectator amuses himself by following 
their slow evolutions in and out in the midst of those small black-and- 
white tufts of smoke. He guesses the point at which the next shell will 
be placed, and watches to see how close it will burst to the plane, and 
this affords him a considerable amount of interest. But what matters 
it to those who are high in the air, what the interest is of those watch- 
ing them from the earth! Of what interest is it to them, when 
shells are bursting, which every now and then come close and burst 
even within the range of the wings of the machine ! They see noth- 
ing but the little patch of earth to which they are anchored. The 
chasing plane looks toward heaven; he forgets the earth and that 
which is passing on the face of it. 

The army corps plane looks toward the earth ; he looks at the game 
like the artilleryman, and he controls it. He is the only one who takes 
it in at a glance. He knows so well his own corner of ploughed ground 
— trenches, roads, and pits — that he considers it his own special part 
of the earth. He is proud of his duty, and it is just pride ; like a god, 

C xiii ] 



INTRODUCTION 

he commands the lightning and projects it from his batteries to what- 
ever point he will. There are three things on the ground that must 
attract his attention : 

1. The antennae of the T.S.F. who listens to him, replies to him, 
and interrogates him with the help of great white panels. 

2. The battery for which he is working (strictly speaking, he 
should not bother himself about it ) . 

3. The point of aim — whether it is a trench, a battery, or a shelter 
— his will for destruction concentrates upon that. 

Whether our artillerymen fire too slowly, whether the special 
enemy batteries are firing too quickly for him, he is never discouraged ; 
he must attain his end, and he does not fail. 

Is his work finished ? The fire-control plane comes tranquilly back 
to the aviation field ; the pilot reports a few shot-holes in the wings, 
and the observer makes his report. 

Pilot N Observer N 

Concentrated Battery X upon such a point ; observed effective fall 
of shot ; three shot-holes in the machine. 

And that is all. They have nothing further to say of the work ; 
they begin again on the morrow, and again on the day after the mor- 
row, and so on forever, unless surprised in the midst of their work by 
some enemy chasing plane, or — struck by a 1 05 — the gallant plane 
finds, one day, a glorious end. 

If the end only appears glorious to the vulgar, yOu can understand 
that those who fly may well be proud during their lifetime of the great- 
ness of their role — so proud that they may indeed care little for the 
opinion of others. 

I am happy, my dear Farre, if I have given you, in this letter, not 
only a look-in on fire-control aviation, but a little of the sentiment of 
its modesty and at the same time of its importance. 

[ xiv ] 



INTRODUCTION 

Please feel assured that this class of aviation will indeed contribute 
its full share to the next great success in which it shall take part. In 
this happy hope, I beg you to accept my very cordial regards. 

ROECKEL 

IV 

October 3, 1917 
My dear Chief : 

What is my opinion in regard to bombarding ? I can explain it by 
saying only that, from the very first trial of this method, I have de- 
voted myself to it entirely ; and as the attraction is so strong, I shall 
be only too glad to give you my ideas concerning it and the princi- 
ples which have convinced me of its value. 

From the very beginning, bombarding by aeroplanes offered to me 
a strong attraction by reason of its apparently unlimited destructive 
power. After the early experimental period was over, you will re- 
member our great raids of 1915, which confirmed a success made 
possible by tentative effort in this direction. This side of aviation is 
most captivating, the source of impressions which it is impossible to 
feel in any other branch of the service. 

The great beauty of a departure at sunrise ; the evolutions of the 
little flotilla ; then the crossing of the lines and the heading to the east ; 
no more trenches, no more impassable wall ; one flies to the enemy, 
seeking him at rest. 

Lorraine — the Vosges — Alsace — the Rhine, and then — Ger- 
many. The factories first feel the destructive force of the planes ; 
then the cities beyond the Rhine — in order to avenge the German 
lust, and the innocent victims of our unfortified cities — then no 
weak hesitation. 

The danger may increase — but what is the difference ! With that 
feeling of absolute detachment from terrestrial things ; the spirit free, 

[ XV 3 



INTRODUCTION 

and without care of bullet or gun, they steer straight to the end in 
view, drinking in all the beauties of the voyage, and enjoying the 
ideal sensations to which it gives birth, in anticipation of a perfect ac- 
complishment of the mission in hand. 

That is the wonderful part of bombarding aviation — attractive 
from its heroic side and captivating from the impressions it produces ; 
but it is closely linked with another function of war which is even 
more intimately in touch with battle, and that is night bombardment. 

Let us consider the field of activity in this. In modern warfare an 
immense amount of material is constantly used up and destroyed, and 
means must be taken to keep an ample supply in the rear, to be drawn 
upon as necessary for the troops in the trenches ; at the same time it 
must be out of reach of enemy guns. The artillery has made great 
progress in this, by increasing the range of their guns and conse- 
quently their radius of action, but even then the reserves and material 
cannot be reached by their cannon. This hammering by enemy guns 
can only be efficient in the front zone, so that fresh reserves and new 
material must constantly be brought up. 

So this is the business of night bombarding squadrons : to harass 
the enemy, strike his reserves, cut his lines of communication, set fire 
to his railroad stations and his aviation hangars, blow up his ammuni- 
tion depots, fly over his cantonments and bivouacs, flood them with 
projectiles, decimate the adversary, and deprive him of rest; as a re- 
sult, on the following day at the hour of attack, we shaU find only de- 
moralized troops, without supplies. Between times during fine clear 
nights, we carry the action farther away. The ammunition factories, 
foundries, and forges receive a visit from our planes, and a giant 
charge will result in putting out of use for long months the factories 
attacked. Still farther, there will be sometimes reprisal raids on the 
large German cities on the other side of the Rhine. 

For these different objects there must be a corresponding means 

[ xvi ] 



INTRODUCTION 

of execution, varying according to the nature of the mission. The 
light and fast plane will strike the cities which are industrial centers, 
which distance makes almost invulnerable ; and the fighting plane — 
a big machine — strongly armed, can attack all organizations at the 
front as well as the factories in the rear. In fine, the conditions of 
adaptation of these planes vary every time, according to the require- 
ments demanded by the proposed objective. 

If it is desired to cut lines of communication and interrupt traffic, 
especially large bombs are dropped from a low altitude, and these 
throw the railroad into such confusion as to require long days of 
repair. An entire squadron passing over such a place will make such 
a road totally impassable ; or again, it may be individual attacks on 
running trains followed by derailments, fires, and the stopping of all 
traffic. 

Is it desired to destroy ammunition stations ? This is a new class of 
operations ; to cover the entire surface of the depot with a great num- 
ber of small shells, and accomplish its certain destruction by explo- 
sion of the shells close to the projectile heaps. On an aerodrome the 
same tactics are employed, but with incendiary shells, or a few shells 
of large caliber dropped from a very low height directly upon the 
hangars. If reserves are seen to be coming, it is necessary to use spe- 
cial shells which burst into an infinite number of pieces (shrapnel), 
followed by grenades and machine-gun attacks on troops at the dis- 
embarking pier, or farther out on the road leading up to their final 
positions. Furthermore, machinery of factories cannot escape wreck- 
ing from an attack of high-power projectiles dropped upon them. 

The diversity of these expeditions, the varying circumstances — 
always new — in which they are conducted, induce a feeling of fresh 
interest upon the occasion of every sortie, and offer opportunity to 
study the methods used, with a view to approaching constantly nearer 
perfection. It is a strong stimulant for the natural-born bombarder, 

C xvii ] 



INTRODUCTION 

whose real vocation it is, and who interests himself in his task because 
conscious of its great power. 

How wonderful are the sensations felt in these night flights over 
the field of battle ; lighted by its thousand fuse lights, bursting shells, 
and the lines of fire of the machine guns ; you will remember, dear 
chief, having tasted something of this in the great days of Verdun, 
1916, where you took part with us in the operations of that time. 

It is a spectacle of sublime and savage beauty this — to view a field 
of carnage by night. When the lines are passed and one engages, 
in his turn, in the great struggle, surrounded by the illuminating 
rockets, in the midst of bursting shells, crossed by the searchlight 
beams searching the heavens with its rays, and to extinguish it with 
a salvo from a machine gun — to do this without being blinded 
— then one feels an indescribable joy. 

When the end is in sight and the precise moment approaches when 
the projectiles are to be dropped, one realizes at once the amount of 
danger that had to be overcome in order to succeed ; the fascination 
of firing, and finally that feeling of strong domination, of superiority 
over an enemy that one holds at his mercy, and that with a simple 
turn of the hand he can destroy or save. Such realization awakens the 
recollection of days gone before, and thrills one with joy in the work 
of destruction. 

An immense field of development opens up before a man in bom- 
barding aviation, and through that, will finally come success. It is a 
real arm of offense, and carries the war into the enemy's country. 
Daily and nightly our colors cross the Rhine and presage the next 
great victory. 

Partridge 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

I 

THE STORM BREAKS 

AT the windows of the Plaza Hotel at Buenos Aires, my soul op- 
^ pressed with infinite anguish, I awaited news of the war. Dieu, 
is it possible that there is a man in this world capable of taking such a 
responsibility ? " No doubt," I murmured, " the Kaiser is capable of 
anything." I remembered his speeches, his acts, and I recalled his per- 
sistent efforts devoted entirely to the increase of his military forces both 
on land and on sea ; the intimidation which he attempted on all peoples ; 
his amiability to those whose neutrality he thought he could secure ; 
aU that I believed had been done with but one end in view — domina- 
tion in war. For ten years past, such a termination appeared to me in- 
evitable ; France, of course, was always the most menaced, but my 
dear country, devoted to liberty and peace, constantly repelled that 
bitter cup. 

While I thus reflected, I saw a long and solid mass coming down 
Florida Street towards the hotel. An intense heat, upon which the 
freshness of the night had no effect, hung over the city like a fog of 
fire. The shouts of the crowd reached my ears, muffled and mellowed 
through the heavy atmosphere. I ran downstairs and saw below in the 
lobby a polyglot mob assembled. My worst suspicions were realized ; 
people avoided one another, some with shame written in their faces. 
Germans were talking amongst themselves in low voices, evidently 
suppressing an ill-concealed joy. I read their thoughts ! They were 
mostly business men or brokers, happy to see the great day arrive at 
last. 

Us ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

War was declared with Russia, and France was allowed twenty- 
four hours to affirm her neutrality, but within that time, Germany had 
already thrown her forces into France and invaded heroic Belgium. 

I made up my mind at once, and decided to take passage on the first 
boat leaving port. But the ocean was not safe, not yet free of German 
cruisers, and I was obliged to wait fifteen days in the Argentine capi- 
tal. There the people, almost to a man, shuddered with undisguised 
horror and hate of the Germans. The bankers alone, who were almost 
all Boches, remained indifferent to these public manifestations, which 
one could see came straight from the heart. 

Crowds were massed constantly before the newspaper offices, hun- 
gry for news, following with interest the opening moves of the gigantic 
struggle about to commence. One paper, the Prensa, had planted a 
powerful searchlight on its roof and indicated by colored beams the 
ebb and flow of victory in the initial battles. The beams were red for 
Boche and green for us — green for Hope ! The crowds were so great 
that the mounted police were often obliged to press them back. 

The entrance of England into the war was received with frenzied 
joy, and that night all who were recognized as Englishmen were car- 
ried in triumph on the shoulders of the crowd, and if at that moment 
Argentina had followed the wishes of her people, she would have been 
early an ally at our side, even before Brazil. 

The day of departure arrived at last, and the consul handed me a 
secret letter of instructions. The boat on which I had taken passage 
was the finest one of a French line that had ever anchored in this port, 
and was called Lutetia. By the irony of chance, it was moored along- 
side of a German boat of the newest design, the Cape Trafalgar, and 
a heavy cable held them together. 

Twenty-four hours previously the Cape Trafalgar had weighed 
anchor, for what reason her officers alone knew ; certainly it was not 
to escort us to France. There was nothing aboard her but guns, and 




LIEUTENANT HENRY FARRE 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

there was every indication that she would transform herself into a 
pirate. The Lutetia was fully loaded with provisions of all kinds and 
an amount of treasure ; in addition, there were about two thousand 
army reservists and some women and children. 

The captain of the Cape Trafalgar must have chuckled to himself. 
He was a disgustingly gross person, whose face was as red as his hair. 
Closing my eyes I can see this human monster lapping his thick lips 
with his tongue, which formed a disgusting break in his unkempt beard, 
his squinting eyes and the thing called a smile, which deformed his 
filthy mouth. In my day-dreams I can see this human carrion, drunk 
with champagne, insult, bind, strip, and violate the women and chil- 
dren ; throw them overboard to the accompaniment of the wild bursts 
of laughter of a crew who had lost the qualification of human beings, 
to kill without trace, in accordance with the instructions given at a 
later date by the Count de Luxbourg, the German Minister to the 
Argentine. 

The captain of the Lutetia decided to wait forty-eight hours, so two 
days later we sailed from Buenos Aires, and at nightfall we anchored 
in Montevideo Roads. We had not yet left neutral waters, and antic- 
ipating no danger of attack from the Cape Trafalgar, we continued 
our course to the entrance of the bay, the Trafalgar saluting us as we 
passed. She remained at anchor for four days awaiting news of our 
departure, and the morning of the fifth day she disappeared. That 
evening at five o'clock we weighed anchor and sympathetic Monte- 
video gave us a hearty send-off. 

Orders were issued on board to dine early, and to show no lights 
after dark ; so that at night the ship was in complete darkness ; the 
lights of the cigarettes and the cigars of the smokers being the only 
precaution against collision. But there was no joy fore-and-aft, and 
each one asked himself if he would live to see the morrow. Few pas- 
sengers slept that night. At last we saw the first ray of dawn upon the 

[ 5 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

horizon — we were alone upon the waters. I learned later from the 
captain that we had passed quietly between the Trafalgar and the light 
cruiser Emden. 

We steered a course that only sailing ships take to make an offing. 
Wireless messages asking constantly <* Where is the Lutetia?" were 
received by our operator, but the Lutetia made no reply, and so we 
sailed on as far as the Portuguese island of St. Vincent, near the coast 
of Africa. The coaling port was a French Dakar possession, but the 
captain believed that stopping at Dakar was dangerous and decided 
not to coal there. Future events proved that he was right. 

Here at last we received the war news of the last twenty days. The 
English consul, as soon as he came on board, gave us a full account 
of it, and handed us a complete file of his wireless dispatches. Two 
million Germans are at Compiegne, he told us. Consternation was 
painted on the faces of all, and without any accompanying news, we 
were unable to explain the presence of the enemy so near Paris with- 
out having fought a great battle. 

"We will get there too late," said some. 

"It could not have happened," said others, and I was among the 
latter. 

"Have any Boche cruisers signaled you ?" we asked. 

" Oh, yes," said he, "yesterday, at Dakar, the cruiser Wilhelm der 
Grosse — Boum ! " — and he made a sign like some one throwing 
something overboard. 

We knew then that this ship awaited our arrival, but unhappily for 
her, twenty-four hours too soon, for instead of meeting the Lutetia, it 
was an English cruiser she met, which showed her no mercy. A little 
later, the Cape Trafalgar met the same fate. 

During the trip from St. Vincent to Bordeaux, which we hardly 
expected to make without adventure, we fell in with a few sail which 
gave us goose-flesh until our nationality was ascertained by them. At 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

last Bordeaux and France ! The steamer now ascended the green and 
flower-bordered banks of the Gironde, and loud hurrahs greeted the 
new reinforcements as we disembarked. 

The battle which saved the world was in its last phase. The next 
day the word victory — a great victory — ran from mouth to mouth, 
and on the night of the 7th of September, the enemy retreated in dis- 
order and the victory of the Marne stopped forever the invading ad- 
vance of the Hun. Attila, with despair in his soul, turned his horse's 
bridle away from the coveted prize — Paris — which lay almost within 
his grasp, and which passed beyond his reach forever. The world 
was saved and civilization breathed again. Our army, worn out with 
seven days and seven nights of fighting, ceased pursuit at Soissons and 
Rheims, and it was then a race to the coast, to Calais ; the battle-front 
automatically established itself in a line reaching from Alsace to the 
Yser. 

The next day after my arrival, I was promptly at the recruiting 
office, but there they told me : " You are not yet called ; return to your 
home in Paris and wait." Paris — oh, sadness — empty, silent as a 
body without a soul, wreckage everywhere, misery attending the 
improvident, the air heavy with anger and bitterness against the 
invader. 

Tired of waiting to be called, I asked one of my friends, a colonel, 
to do something for me. 

"But, my dear sir," said he, "you have only to keep still, for 
you cannot move when you are at the call of the Minister of 
War." 

" But can I not anticipate the call ? " 

" I suppose so," he rejoined ; " come and see me to-morrow and 
bring your livret militaire " (army descriptive list). 

The next day I became a soldier ; my friend had got me admitted 
into a quartermasters' company. I was not long in recognizing the fact 

[7 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

that I was " embusque " ( shelved ) . My captain, whom I asked every 
day to allow me to accompany him to the front, invariably told me 
to wait, that my turn would soon arrive. 

It did come at last, but not through him. My friend, Do-Hu, cap- 
tain aviator, dead on the field of honor a year later, but then just re- 
turned from Indo-China, where he had been on duty, came to see me 
and said brusquely, " What are you doing here ? " 

" Don't you see that I am embusque and that I am laid off? Can't 
you take me away with you ? " 

" What shall I do with you ? " 

" Whatever you wish." 

" But you are too old for flying." 

" My dear man,' ' I said, '* you cannot make me believe that you have 
only pilots in your formations. There are other things necessary ; and 
then again you might form with Commandant de Goys a bombard- 
ment group which would suit me exactly. The principal thing for me 
now is to get out of this Paradise. Do you need an orderly ? " 

"Oh, very well," said he, "if you must go, give me some paper 
and I will write a request to the Governor, General Galieni. His chief 
clerk is one of my friends, and wUl take the matter up promptly." 

The result was, the next day I was the orderly of Captain Do-Hu, 
but not for long, I must admit. The captain whom I left did not wish 
to lose me, and it was necessary to obtain his signature almost by force. 
As I got ready to leave, the General of Division Niox, governor of the 
Invalides, and director of the Army Museum, called me into his office 
and said to me, " I am directed by the Minister of War, in agreement 
with the Quartermaster General, to create a group of artist-painters, 
whose duty it will be to paint certain phases of action, so as to immor- 
talize on canvas true pictures of fighting in the field. Do you wish to 
join it?" 

" General, I am certainly delighted that you honor me with your 

C 8] 




CAITE B'IDENTITfi 



? 



_Cont'ormemeiit i\ la Decision Minists^rielle 
du 24 NoYcii-i'brc 1914, M^(X,Lm/M^^ 

est agre(^ coinme pointrc nsilitaire par le 
General Directeur du Musee de FArmee, 
et autorise a se preseater. en cetie qualite, 

a M. le General Coaimandant ia „ 

Armee pour demander la libre circulation 
dans la zone do Tarriere de cette ArBiee. 



f^i (,? 




THE AUTHOR S CARD OF IDENTIFICATION 
AS A MILITARY ARTIST 



REPUBUQUE FRANQAISE 



ItiA; 



riy 



ANNEE 191 
A'o 

7- JTeoUe Deo cdC'^tm^ B< 
Nom du titulaire : \Jl.Q t t - , Prenoms : ^^ 

F.mploi :. C^^.€^t^Oute^iA%r ^ 

Ecole, etablissement ou'rx-pol ) C^.C..at^^2^':^^ /Z£f„',.„/^„/ 

Signature du titulaire: I-e ^^*^H'~^^^J]shA 

ri I ;■ ■•■ (Vafr ail verso.) 



du groupe d'aviation j 

P(Sriode de validiliS de la .presente carle 



(1) Kr.ile, 1.:iiil>li-,.'ia.nl on ll,'|,r,i ,fu i,..-.,iq..j /« -luSWiL,,-/! i ?) H ni.|<> ,1 Ti..iu .lii '■ MMiiilahl .lis 

■ ^Toup.! „u du Chi.f .lKr.,l,l,-,..„,o„l on .lE.-.l,,. Z*;-! l,|i,Muv... .l.lnu!.,. ],..,.., )u c,,,,,. J,. 



THE AUTHOR S CARD OF IDENTIFICATION AS 
AN OBSERVER IN THE FIRST GROUP OF BOMBING SQUADRONS 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

choice, but since yesterday I have belonged to an aviation formation " 
(though I took care not to add that I had begun as an orderly) . 

" Eh, bien, c'est parfait ; I had not thought of the fifth weapon. 
Would you like to be a painter of aviation ? " 

" Willingly, General. You may count upon my enthusiasm for 
that kind of work." 

From that time on, I was an aviation-painter and an orderly for 
Captain Do-Hu. 

" I am leaving," said Do-Hu to me. " Arrange your affairs and join 
me when you can. We have a fine future before us, and I hope you 
will find plenty of new and fascinating work, so that your talent can 
develop. Regarding Commandant de Goys, he will probably bring 
you with him." 

And so I started. First, I wish to give you a brief idea of our state 
of preparedness. 

It is no longer necessary to prove to the world how little France 
desired the war. A good army existed, but there was nothing behind 
it in the way of supplies ; no heavy artillery, or at least very little of 
it. Some old worn-out types of guns remained ; our seventy-five mil- 
limeter gun alone demonstrated its superiority and still demonstrates 
it. And to that, to the courage of our soldiers, and to the genius of our 
chiefs are due the victory of the Marne, the greatest among all great 
victories. 

Aviation, though born in France, did not exist — so to speak — as 
compared with the present day. Each army corps had its squadron, 
and trials had been made at the great maneuvers ; but the chiefs did 
not believe in its utility, and sad experience was necessary to convince 
them of its value. Six months after the beginning of hostilities, there 
were still chiefs who were ready to deny its usefulness, although vic- 
tory never could have been obtained without the flyers. 

Modem arms are so murderous that unless combatants are willing 

[9 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

to be annihilated, they must hide under ground, or dig themselves into 
trenches. Armies engage now at a distance of several kilometers, ar- 
tillery playing the principal role ; and how can they quickly ascertain 
the effect of fire without the information received from the flyer ? He 
alone can tell, because he is able to fly over the enemy lines and re- 
port the situation and formation. He can report the fall of projectiles, 
photograph the terrain, correct the fire of the artillery, and furnish 
promptly news of the enemy's movements. 

In every way the supremacy of the air is necessary to efficiency. 
During an offensive, no enemy plane should be allowed to rise ; the 
adversary should be kept blind, subject to the fire of artillery, with- 
out power to reply effectively. I will explain later the different uses 
of aviation, such as observation, bombardment, photography, fire- 
control, and combat. 

The control of the air once obtained, the defense of the enemy, 
however strong, can soon be destroyed by artillery of every caliber. 
The infantry then may with little loss take and occupy the enemy's 
position, and such a result, obtained on a large front, is certain to end 
in the retreat of an adversary, if his reserves do not arrive in time. 
Thanks to our bombarding planes, a retreat can easily be converted 
into complete disaster. 

Consider a Boche army forced to retreat. Think of the enormous 
amount of material accumulated upon his front since the beginning 
of the war; imagine the interminable convoy columns of all kinds 
strung out along the roads ; three or four tractors disabled at the head 
of these columns would result in stopping the supply trains for sev- 
eral hours. What pleasure then would our planes have, whether of 
the bombarding or machine-gun type, in attacking by every means 
these convoys of material and human cohorts ! 

But to accomplish this, it is necessary to be masters of the air, and 
a real aerial army of planes will be required. It will be necessary 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

from the beginning of an engagement that the air should be rid of 
every hostile airship, and this advantage must be retained until vic- 
tory is assured. During this time, our airships of observation and of 
fire-control ( reglage ) must fulfill to the limit their mission of control- 
ling the fire of the artillery. Here is the principal objective. 

Our allies in the United States have found the key of victory in avi- 
ation, and I can well believe that the American pilots, of whom report 
speaks so well, are predestined by their skill in athletics, their tenac- 
ity, and their courage to accomplish great feats worthy of our best 
air heroes. The celebrated Lafayette Escadrille, which ranks the 
highest among our squadrons, will show them the way. In compar- 
ing our present-day aviation with that which existed at the beginning 
of hostilities, it is apparent that the progress has been astonishing. 
Some squadrons composed of types like Voisin, Caudron, Farman, 
Marane, Nieuport, were all that existed; the Voisin and Farman 
planes almost alone did the aviation work at the beginning of hostili- 
ties. The strong Voisin, made of metal, defies any temperature. Rain, 
snow, wind, and frost leave it unharmed ; it requires no hangar, and 
well for it that it does not, for at that time there were none ! 

How many times at sunrise I have seen them brush the snow off 
these planes ; seen the arched wings leave the earth and soar up to 
their mission ! A simple tent, anchored to the ground, protected them 
during the night; and watchmen mounted guard over them to see 
that the wind did not blow them down. 

It is a real war — here to-day, there to-morrow. To-day one has a 
good bed and to-morrow he is satisfied to crawl under the wings of 
a plane for protection. Of course, one may not always have a bath- 
room at hand, but I am sure that is about the only thing missing. All 
material, all personnel are now comfortably sheltered, but in a war 
of advance, doubtless this comfort would be very much diminished. 



II 

AVIATION 

OUR aviation has become an organization of enormous impor- 
tance; I cannot quote figures, but I know that in spite of 
our heavy production both of planes and of pilots, we do not yet 
have control of the air, but it is absolutely necessary for us to have 
that. 

Directly behind our front, a great number of squadrons are detailed 
to be ready for instant call. They are constantly in motion and render 
such wonderful work that they cannot help but arouse the enthusiasm 
of all American aviators, and it is to these brave men that I dedicate 
this sketch. It is my aim to let them know in a simple way what we 
have accomplished in aviation in these three years of war. 

In December, 1914, I left Paris in company with Commandant 
de Goys, who had just been appointed Commandant of the First 
Bombing Squadron. The nucleus of this squadron consisted of the 
Twenty-first Squadron V.B. ( Voisin de Bombardement) , and we were 
to join these two squadrons at Dunkerque, where the defeat of the 
Boche had already begun. We made this trip quickly and comforta- 
bly in a one hundred horse-power Bentz machine. 

My heart was sad as we passed for the first time and got our first 
sight of the cities and towns destroyed by the barbarian. What wan- 
ton destruction ! And to what end ! 

Having arrived at St. Pol in Ternoise, about thirty kilometers from 
Dunkerque, we saw in a ploughed field on the edge of the road, and 
in which there were a few light tractors, a dozen Voisin planes. " Why, 
those are my squadrons ! " said the Commandant. "Stop!" he shouted 
to himself, for he forgot he was his own pilot. They were in fact our 

[ 1^ ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

own squadrons, which had received instructions from General Head- 
quarters to post themselves there and await orders. 

The bombing squadron was created as an independent unit, and 
was intended to operate over the whole front, under orders received 
direct from General Headquarters. A sudden call would send us fly- 
ing from one end of the front to the other on special service, to suc- 
cor a defense, to make a retaliation raid on enemy manufacturing 
plants, or on their convoys or concentration camps. " You have been 
named by General Niox to paint aerial warfare ! You will see some 
splendid work, for it is our prerogative to be in the most fascinating 
and thrilling places." 

The officers of the two squadrons. Lieutenants Mouchard, Fequant, 
de Clerck, de la Morlaix, Do-Hu, and Lieutenant de Vaisseau de La- 
borde. Adjutants Jumel and Neurdin, and Corporal Bounier de Neuf- 
ville, aU veterans of aviation, were our senior pilots ; and all of them, 
too, were noted for their wonderful prowess and skill. 

It happened on this occasion that the rain came down in torrents, 
and the only possible shelter — the one bit of dry ground to be had — 
was the little spots beneath the wings of the machines. The blue- 
gray planes shed the water like ducks, and the engines, still hot from 
their trip through space, instantly converted into steam the water which 
fell upon them. 

'* My dear man," said the Commandant after having introduced me 
to all the officers, " do the best you can and bestir yourself to find a 
place to sleep. I am going over to that chateau where Do-Hu is wait- 
ing. He has promised that there will be a room for me." 

" Very well. Commandant," I said, *' don't worry about me." 

It was raining still, and got dark here at five o'clock in the after- 
noon. The little town of St. Pol was three kilometers away. When I 
finally arrived at the outskirts, wet to the skin, I saw a lantern waving 
in front of me, which sent a cheering ray through the darkness, and 

C 13 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

I was able to see the shapes of two poilus wearing goatskins, and look- 
ing like anything but soldiers. 

I heard the challenge, " Who goes there ? " and a bayonet was thrust 
at me. 

" France," I answered. The man with the lantern drew near. I gave 
him the password. 

"All right, go ahead." 

"Surely," I said to myself, "only a Gascon would have such a 
brogue." 

St. Pol happened to be at this time ten kilometers back of the ene- 
my's lines. The houses used nothing but candles and oil lamps ; and 
the streets were littered with all sorts of vehicles and filled with people 
running into one another. 

It was still raining. " Well, this is fierce," I said to myself. "I'll 
be hanged if I can find a lodging-place here." I went into what they 
called a hotel, and found it crowded to capacity. " Can you give me 
something to eat?" 

"Oh, yes," the proprietor said. "I still have some beans, and if 
you can't get a room, you can always sleep in the stable." 

"All right," I said; "I '11 eat first, and then I'll try the sleeping 
accommodations." 

"The dining-room is over here, sir." 

I found the dining-room full to overflowing ; it was about ten yards 
square and lighted by four oil lamps ; there was such a fog of tobacco 
smoke within that I could almost cut it with a knife, and it was fully 
a minute before my eyes could distinguish anything through it. My 
throat was choked, and I felt that one must be very hungry, indeed, 
to stand such an atmosphere, in which the brawn and sinew of the 
land was concealed in the muddy cloaks of the young soldiers. 

There were about one hundred of them massed in the room, and it 
was the first time that I found myself face to face with that simple but 

[ 14] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

heroic figure — the poilu. They were there in force, and so covered 
with mud that it was difficult to distinguish the color of the uniform 
they wore. 

Alongside of me, seated at a table, were four Algerian machine- 
gunners, one a Parisian and one a Gascon, and they came to the rescue. 

" Come on, sit down," they said, offering me the end of a bench. 

" Well, my friends, how goes it ? " 

"Fine; it 's a little damp, but that makes no difference — on les 
aura!" 

" Ah ! Those dirty dogs," said his companion. " There were two of 
them hovering over a trench this morning, and I certainly sent them 
both to hell; I gave it to them strong enough anyway." 

" Don't flatter yourself, old chap, those two wretches that you shot 
have been dead for three weeks, and have been hanging on the barbed 
wire in front of my sector ever since." 

" That can't be ; I saw them fall." 

" So, then it was your shot that cut the barbed wire ? " 

These poilus, almost without exception, belong to the plain people, 
for the most part peasants, but they were full of eagerness and enthu- 
siasm, in spite of the hardships they suffered. They had been hard- 
ened in the trenches, but at this early period of the war the trenches 
were very hastily made, and no one ever remained in them long. I 
certainly admired these men, assembled from the four corners of 
France, and I wish I could adequately describe the stoicism of these 
honest souls, but I cannot — it was truly sublime. They suffered every- 
thing, the enemy's fire, fatigue, dirt, discomfort, cold, hunger, often 
getting their supper late, and passing entire nights in the rain up to 
their knees in water. Happily enough, all that is now over. — But I 
am getting away from my subject, which is aviation. 

At nine o'clock the lights were put out and everybody looked for 
a place to rest; all was quiet. As for myself — like Jupiter changed 

C IS ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

to a bull — I went into the stable and lay down beside a cow. At times, 
I felt its hot breath warming my stiffened limbs, and my pillow of 
straw seemed very soft. O weariness, you are sometimes welcome 
and offer sweet recompense ! The heavy bombardment at the front 
did not prevent me from falling fast asleep. 

The sound of loud reports at dawn, which turned out to be enemy 
planes leaving their calling cards, woke me from a deep sleep. I rubbed 
my sides, and cramped and lame from my night's rest on that spring- 
less bed of straw, finished my toilet by dipping my head in a bucket 
of ice water which was probably intended for the animals to drink, and 
then went out. 

A pale, cold sun shed its feeble light ; in the streets there were 
mixed groups ; African Spahis, wearing their beautiful red cloaks, 
stalked about on foot or rode on horseback among ammunition car- 
riages, guns, and vehicles of every kind. 

Our Headquarters was close by, so I paid my respects to General 
de Maudhuy, commanding the army, and a few minutes later I got 
to the flying-field, which might be called anything else. 

Lieutenant Mouchard, who was known to be a very brave man, 
— at times almost reckless, — took me under his wing, and I at once 
became a member of the First Squadron, First Group of Bombarding 
Planes ; a squadron celebrated throughout the army for the number 
and variety of its successful exploits. After five minutes' conversa- 
tion, we found ourselves mutually pleased with each other. 

" It is very strange," he said to me, " I feel as if I had known you 
for years." 

As a matter of fact, I had the same feeling in regard to him, — a 
deep and mutual liking sprang up between us, and as the reader 
will see later on, it was a liking which endured to the day of his 
death. 

For an hour or more we talked of flying, and I asked him to tell me 

[ 16 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

the story of his squadron, which was V.B. 114, now become, under 
the new grouping, V.B. 101. 

" It is extremely interesting," said he, " but unfortunately, I have 
never taken any notes. We did some fine work — those old busses 
certainly have a story to tell of the retreat of the Marne ; with orders 
and counter-orders, they did n't know which way to turn, but one 
thing is certain, we killed an enormous number of Boches. 

" What a pleasure to see a convoy on the march ! We would strad- 
dle the column at a good height — about a thousand meters — so as 
not to be reached by the bullets of the infantry (fantassin), and then 
the bombs fell ! Sometimes one of these, well placed, meant one hun- 
dred of the wretches laid low. 

« The horses would scatter, the ammunition wagons would capsize, 
and then those terrible arrows (flechettes) would follow — five hun- 
dred at a time. It was a veritable rain of iron of a most remarkable 
and wonderful penetration. Sometimes a horseman and his horse were 
pierced through and through ; men fell like flies without a sound and 
without any wound, apparently. 

" Later on, the Boches made and used them, and had the insolence 
to cut on their side the following inscription : ' French invention made 
in Germany.' 

" Afterwards I brought two of them from Nancy, that fell about 
three yards from me ; I could hardly pull them out of the ground, 
they had gone so deeply into the soil of the road ; they bore this in- 
scription and the date, 1916." 

" How about aeroplane fights ? " 

" Oh, absolutely absurd ! No one ever dreamed of fighting ; an en- 
emy flyer, a prisoner, once told me that, and added, < Why fight ? 
Don't you find your duty sufficiently hazardous, and is n't it foolish 
to try and make it more so ? ' 

"Of course," Lieutenant Mouchard went on, *' flyers saluted each 

c 17 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

other as they passed on their mission, but that practice did not con- 
tinue very long. The revolver, which they carried in case of being 
forced down within the enemy's lines, was at first the only weapon 
that flyers had ; it was that or nothing. Later, followed the short mus- 
ket (le mousqueton) , which was hardly more effective, but it had the 
advantage of greater precision and of carrying farther. The first plane 
brought down with one of them was a Boche, and to Lieutenant Frantz, 
in a Voisin plane, fell that honor. Afterwards, we were armed with 
one machine gun ; soon after, with two, and later on, some planes 
carried small cannon. 

" Come on, let us join the squadron," he said. 

I was deeply interested in this life which was so new to me ; it was 
the first time I had been to the front, and as a member of a squadron 
too ! Notwithstanding my gray beard, which seemed to surprise the 
machinists, I considered myself a good rookie. 

We started the engines ; the machinists adjusted them, while others 
tried them out. Across the road there was a racing-field studded with 
a dozen little wooden houses painted white. 

" What do you think of those dandy little houses as dressing- 
rooms in which to don our teddy bears?" said Mouchard to de la 
Morlaix. 

" Impossible, my boy, they have no mirror; give me my tractor." 

" Well, for my part, they '11 serve very nicely as a dry place to 
stand in. I '11 try them," said Mouchard ; "and so much the worse for 
the racing club of St. Pol." 

"What do you want, Dominique?" said Mouchard, turning to 
his chauffeur, and taking a package from him; "what is this?" 

"I don't know, sir; an orderly of the General Staff gave it 
to me." 

The address read : " Lieutenant Mouchard, Commandant of the 
loist Squadron, V.B." 

C 18 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

"Well, that's odd — no stamp — where did this come from, and 
what is the idea of this cloth wrapping two yards long ? " 

He took it off, and found it to be colored red, white, and black, and 
beneath the wrapping he found a linen bag like those in which peas- 
ants stow away their savings — it was full of sand. 

" Don't you understand?" said de la Morlaix. 

" No, not yet; do you ? " 

" I think it is a message a Boche plane has dropped ; rip open the 
bag; there may be a letter." 

As a matter of fact, on shaking the bag, a letter fell out. 

" What can this possibly be ? read the signature — * Sergeant Bar- 
res.' " 

" So it 's Barres," cried Mouchard, glancing over it quickly. " He 's 
a prisoner." 

"Is that so? Give me his letter — let me read it," said de Clerck 
impatiently. 

After a pause, Mouchard read in a loud voice : 

My dear Lieutenant, my dear Friends: 

During our last flight, the stalling of the motors obliged us to land 
in enemy country. Up to the last, we hoped to be able to repair the 
damage, but unfortunately were discovered before we could do so, 
and found ourselves surrounded on all sides by soldiers firing on us, 
in spite of our signs of surrender. 

We fired our machines and succeeded in running the gauntlet of 
musketry and in surrendering to officer aviators, who came to our 
relief and stopped all further attack. I must testify to their gallant 
attitude towards us, and I wish to thank them now for having afforded 
us a means to communicate with you. 

We deeply feel our bad luck, and we think of you and of our dear 
France, which our captivity will prevent us from serving with all the 

C 19] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

ardor we possess. However, we know we have always done our duty, 

and we beg you to please notify our families. 

Here 's to you, and long live France ! 

Sergeant Barres, 

P. S. From the chief of the enemy squadron. 
Ask the lieutenant commanding the loist Squadron V.B. to let 
us know what became of our two flyers who fell within your lines on 

the at 

With thanks, 
signed Commandant of Squadron No. . . 

" Well," said de Clerck, " they're pretty decent." 

" Oh," replied de la Morlaix, " it is to their own interest. Are you 
going to answer them, Mouchard ? " 

" Yes, I think I will, but without saying anything to the Comman- 
dant, for communicating with the enemy without his permission is 
absolutely forbidden." 

Suddenly, a smile lighted up his face. 

" I am going to answer them, for I know the flyers they are ask- 
ing about, and to-morrow, if the weather permits, I am going to send 
them what they want by way of the air, but it will be a reply a la gau- 
loise. I tell you what, Farre, get a sheet of paper and make a sketch to 
illustrate my letter, a sketch to impress them with our high morale 
and our love of fighting." 

A moment later the drawing appeared. 

" There, Mouchard, how do you like that ? " I said. 

" Great, splendid ! " 

At the top of a page I had drawn a superb French rooster crowing 
victory, and at his feet sprawled a dying German eagle, gripped in 
the Gallic bird's claws. 

" Make him say something pleasant, so as to give them an extra 

c 2°] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

dose to swallow," said Mouchard. *'Oh, I have an idea — quick — 
give me your pencil," and seizing the pencil, he wrote an interpreta- 
tion of the rooster's crow as follows : " Salute, old man, here 's to our 
next meeting ! " 

Then we made a little linen bag, put in the letter and sketch, and 
wrapped it in a tricolor pennant. He let the message fall the next 
day within the enemy's lines. That shows how little hatred existed 
at the beginning of the war between enemy aviators, but I am com- 
pelled to add that this kind of courtesy did not last long. 

During the day Captain de Marniez, Chief of Aeronautics, came 
to see us. 

" Will you come with me to the front ? " he asked. 

"Willingly, Captain." 

" Have you been there yet ? " 

"No, Captain." 

" Then this will be your baptism of fire ? " 

"Yes, Captain." 

" All right, shall we start ? We will visit artillery headquarters, and 
get the instructions for the start to-morrow." 

As we went along, the artillery fire became more intense and we 
were soon within range. 

" These shells that fall around us now are the reply to that battery 
of 1 55 's over there, in the middle of that little bunch of make-believe 
trees," said de Marniez to me; "in five minutes, we will be there 
ourselves." 

We were passing a village when a shell fell just behind our car, 
struck a house, and blew off the roof. 

" They are firing on the village," said the Captain. 

The chauffeur, who was not keen to catch the next shot, speeded 
up. Two batteries of 155's were hid under some transplanted trees, 
screened from the eyes of the Boche aviators. Not far from the guns 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

themselves some holes had been dug in the ground, one for ammuni- 
tion and the others for shelter in time of great danger. At this mo- 
ment a long whistle passed over my head. 

"What is that ? " I asked. 

"That 's a shell in flight ; but never fear, that one, at least, is not 
for us." 

I turned and saw a large cloud of yellow smoke marking the fall 
of the shot about three hundred yards away. Our guns kept up a con- 
stant fire without regard to the enemy's fire. Suddenly, at the blast 
of a whistle from the chief of the piece, the crew all ran for the shel- 
ters. One shell struck very close, but, fortunately for the Captain and 
myself, did not explode, for neither of us had been able to get away. 

" Such is fate," said the Captain to me. 

"True enough," I replied. 

" Nevertheless, as we have to stay here another half-hour, let 's 
get behind that haystack. It 's absurd to expose ourselves when we 
don't have to." 

And so it was in this v^dse that I received my baptism of fire — on 
solid ground, I mean, — not in the air. 



Ill 

MY FIRST FLIGHT 

THE first aviation group remained only eight days at St. Pol ; 
the expected attack did not occur, and we received orders to 
proceed to the camp of Chalons. The planes weighed anchor and sailed 
away through the air, while I followed the tractors in an automobile. 

The little village of Mourmelon is situated on the outskirts of the 
huge field of Chalons, where formerly the same Huns, led by Attila, 
were wont to say that not a blade of grass should ever grow where 
their horses' feet had trod — a striking analogy to the modern Attila. 
One can still see here such remains of old fortifications as time has left 
behind, and they exactly resemble our modern trenches. 

This place awakened in me recollections of youth. It was here, 
twenty-five years ago, I finished my apprenticeship in the artillery, 
but the little village since then had grown to a small city, and few 
things remained of former days ; among them, however, was an inn 
which was dear to us. 

The field was covered with barracks ; one division had its staff there. 
In peace-times, it was used as an aviation school with big hangars, and 
all paraphernalia was installed that was necessary to aviation. How- 
ever, the Boches must have known of our arrival, for a short time 
afterwards, they bombarded our hangars ; a few men were killed and 
a few planes destroyed. 

Here, for the first time, I went up in an aeroplane. It was a beau- 
tiful winter afternoon, and the sky was almost cloudless. Lieutenant 
de Clerck was sent on a special mission of observation over the en- 
emy's lines. A massing of troops had been reported in the rear of 
these lines, and the Staff wanted information of this movement. 

[ 23 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" Is it cold up there ? " I asked of de Clerck. 

** No ; go as you are, but take a helmet," he said. 

The motor started ; we headed up into the wind and after going a 
hundred yards, we took the air. At first, I did not notice that we were 
flying ; it was only after looking down and seeing the houses become 
smaller and smaller, and disappear under me, that I really felt that I 
had left the earth behind. 

The higher our plane mounted, the more the panorama expanded 
and the view widened. The line of the horizon followed our ascen- 
sion, and remained, very naturally, always on a level with the eye. 
We had reached an altitude of about fifteen hundred yards ; a ceiling 
of clouds stretched out just above our heads. All at once I noticed a 
burst of black smoke appear upon an immaculately white cloud ; then 
another, and after that, three or four more ; they were about three 
hundred yards from us and appreciably much higher. 

" What 's that ? " I inquired of de Clerck. 

"That is the Boche ; those are Boche cannon shots." 

*' Is that so! Well, I don't consider that very alarming." 

** Just wait," said he with a wave of his hand. 

As we crossed the enemy lines, the Boche artillery saluted our pas- 
sage and the puffs were much nearer, as the gunners had rectified their 
aim. One shell burst quite close, and shook us up a bit. The burstings 
made my ears sing, but the old engine ran on regularly — unscathed 
— only our wings had been touched. 

" They are starting something," said the pilot to me. 

** I should say they were," I replied. " Is this going to keep up ? " 

** No ; five minutes more and we shall be out of this." 

As a matter of fact, not long afterwards we entered a thick bank of 
cloud. For a time that seemed to me interminable, I could see noth- 
ing around me but clouds. I had the sensation of sailing along within 
a sphere of infinitely light white cotton; my feelings I cannot describe. 

[ 24 ] 




DESTRUCTION OF DRACHEN BALLOONS 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

The wildest fancy cannot picture the reality. I no longer thought of 
the bursting shells about us. The bank we were crossing was less than 
three hundred yards thick; we headed up towards the blue, so that 
little by little we found ourselves above that vast sea of cloud. At 
times a stray shell would burst in the azure blue and make a dirty 
splotch on the clear dome of heaven. 

When this occurred, I was dismayed at the sudden recall to our 
real situation, for I had been sailing in a sea of beautiful fancy. Huge 
banks of clouds formed arabesques of infinite beauty ; the sun lighted 
up their ideal forms in rainbow colors, and joined and modified their 
outlines. On the right the bank was continuous and stretched afar its 
majestic splendor to the limits of the horizon. 

" Now watch me," said de Clerck ; " I am going to throw the shade 
of our plane on this bank of white cloud below us." 

I watched him maneuver carefully, and saw him move his tiQer ; the 
plane rose three hundred yards, turned, and took a position between 
the sun and the shining bright cloud. 

I watched him intently ; the thick cloud caught the shadow of the 
plane, and a moment later I had before me a phenomenon which few 
of us have ever witnessed; following, more or less, the outline of the 
damp bank which separated us from the white cloud and which made 
visible the phenomenon on which I gazed, the most radiant vision 
I could have conceived then appeared — the shape of a brilliant white 
cross in the middle of the shadow of the plane; a double arch of 
rainbow colors surrounded the cross, and made that shade resemble 
a divine reality. 

When we had crossed the cloud, everything vanished and only 
the remembrance of it remained behind. 

" Was n't that fine ? " said the pilot. 

I did not answer. 

" Well, what do you say ? " he repeated. 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

*'Let us turn back, I want to see it once more." 

" No, old man, don't forget we have a mission — we have n't the 
time." 

The plane now nosed down through an opening about over our posi- 
tion of observation. We had just accomplished our mission, when fresh 
cannon shots reminded me that we belonged to this world. The gun- 
ners did their best to bring us down, but a hospitable cloud hid us from 
their fury, and protected by that we got away and regained our lines, 
still wrapt in the dream of the last few minutes. The oscillations of 
the plane called me back to life. I looked at my pilot and noticed that 
he was writing. 

"Look here, what are you doing? " I said. 

" I am writing to my wife," he replied. 

" That 's a fine state of affairs; and what about the plane?" 

** Don't worry — it knows what to do." 

I observed his movements carefully, and I saw that occasionally 
touching the tiller with his knees, he steered the plane at will. Ten 
minutes afterwards, by a clever spiral, we came to earth at our point 
of departure. Our flight had lasted two hours. 

De Clerck got out and I tried to do the same — impossible ; my feet 
would not bear me. 

" Will it be necessary to get a derrick to get you out ? " he said. 

" I shouldn't wonder; I think my feet must be frozen." 

I felt a frightful reaction — I laughed, I cried, but all the same I was 
able to get myself out without assistance. I suffered all that day ; with- 
out regret, however, for I had felt and seen the most beautiful among 
the experiences of the air. It was the first time since the beginning of 
the war that our planes had not slept in the open. Commandant de 
Goys seemed well pleased. 

" We 're better off here, and it 's a shame that the Boche can bom- 
bard us, for he will make it lively for us." 

I 26 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

As a matter of fact, three new shell-holes not far from our hut 
were proof of the insecurity. Eight days later we made our presence 
felt in several bombarding raids on their communications. Profiting 
by the darkness of night, they brought up trains armed with artillery, 
and severely bombarded our camp; we did not give them time to rec- 
tify their aim, and the first thing next morning we left for Verdun. 



IV 
NIGHT FLYING 

WE were not to remain very long, either, in Verdun. We lodged 
in a handsome house next to the cathedral, and our planes, too, 
found a warm and dry housing in the aviation camp within that strongly 
fortified area. 

We had come there to check the audacity of the Boche flyers, who 
often came to bombard the city. Three days after our arrival, a 
telephone message from Staff Headquarters told us that a squad- 
ron of hostile planes was crossing our lines in the direction of Ver- 
dun. There was a general hustle to clear for action. The machine 
guns were installed on the machines and five planes got away 
at once. 

The enemy planes were already in sight, and soon came under fire 
of our artillery, but passing through its barrage fire they arrived over 
the city. During all this time our own planes were mounting higher 
and higher and nearing the enemy; bombs fell, heavy explosions 
shook the air, often followed by loud crashes. They aimed at the 
cathedral, and one bomb fell between that and our hotel. Its heavy 
wooden door was already pierced through and through by the fire of 
the five enemy planes; four of them had retreated; the fifth, having 
dropped to the rear, was joined by one of our planes and the battle 
began : ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta. 

The planes replied in rhythm and soon the Boche lurched side- 
ways and fell in Deaumont Wood, pierced by the branches of the 
trees. We hastened in an automobile to the rescue of the pilots, but 
it was impossible to get near them, for the enemy, knowing our sense 
of fair play, were certain that some rescuers would gather at the point 

[ 28 J 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

of fall of the plane, and in order to kill us, concentrated on that spot 
a rain of projectiles. 

We had to wait until nightfall in order to rescue the two flyers, 
who were only wounded. They were carried to the hospital, and one 
of them — the son of the director of the military school of Danzig, 
M. X. — succumbed to his wounds. His " carnet de route" showed 
his brutality and his odious conduct towards women, and he was buried 
without military honors. The other, the pilot, in spite of his serious 
condition got well. 

The next day we tried to interview him ; his name was X 

and he was the first pilot who had bombarded Paris. 

" And the Zeppelins — why do they not come to Paris ? " 

" The Zeppelins are not for Paris; they are for the British." 

A flame lighted his dull eye; he had fully expressed his sentiments 
in regard to Great Britain, and his head falling back on his pillow, we 
ceased to question him. 

" Good-bye, old man," said Mouchard, who had brought him down, 
in English. 

After this raid, so unfortunate for the Boches, Verdun was left 
in peace. 

The first group was then sent to Camp de Mellette at Chalons-sur- 
Mame, where we suffered our first bereavement, for Lieutenant 
Mouchard and Sergeant Maillard there met their death. 

Two big houses were located near our aviation field and all the offi- 
cers found a home there. The mechanics slept in a tent with the other 
personnel. The group was unexpectedly increased by a third mem- 
ber; the Third Squadron V.B. 103, commanded by the gallant Cap- 
tain Benoit, came to join us at Camp de Mellette. Here the first 
group really began its career. 

The enemy's lines were scarcely fifteen kilometers away, and we 
went up every day. Nothing kept us from going except rain. There 

C 29 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

were no hangars, and the planes were always out in the wet or snow; 
they were strongly built and could stand anything. Some pilots — 
notably Lieutenant de Vaisseau de Laborde, Mouchard, de Clerck, 
and de la Morlaix — bombarded the lines as much as three times 
a day. 

Luncheon brought us all together in the big dining-room, where a 
fire of green wood almost suffocated us with its smoke. The conver- 
sation was always animated, each one describing his flight. 

" Oh, those beasts certainly gave it to me," said de Clerck; " what 
a mess I was in — five shell-holes in my machine and my pump broken. 
The dogs are progressing, for at one time I did not know where to 
turn ; there were shells bursting all around me. How they hung on ! 
They never left me until after I had passed our lines." 

"With me it was different," said Lieutenant de Vaisseau de La- 
borde; "that cursed Do-Hu with his mania for prowling about did 
not lead me down a path of roses." 

" How was that?" I asked. 

"This is how it was," replied Lieutenant de Vaisseau de Laborde; 
" we were in full range of the heavy shells, and I saw them pass hum- 
ming over my head like big black flies. I knew that if one ever 
touched my plane, it would be good-night. Of course Do-Hu insisted 
on pushing on, but when he saw these shells he stopped insisting. 
Is n't that so, Do-Hu ? " 

"So you say," said Do-Hu. 

In the evening we all scattered. Chalons, the only important town 
within ten kilometers, extended its hospitality, and whether to make 
purchases, or for other reasons, not all the mess were always present 
at dinner, which was a soft thing for the mess caterer, for every one 
absent or late paid a fine of three francs or else a bottle of Bordeaux. 
It was always jovial and gay with us. 

And what was I doing all this time ? I flew sometimes and took 

C so] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

part in certain flights, for I had my mission as an artist to accomphsh, 
besides my mihtary duties, I was all ears when my comrades told 
their adventures, and all eyes when in the air. Of course, being only 
a student observer, I was picking my way and training my eye. Now, 
instead of seeing things horizontally, I saw them vertically ; that is to 
say, up and down. 

Three months had passed since my arrival, and I did not yet appre- 
hend all the pleasure I was to have by seeing things with my trans- 
formed vision — my eye and brain were not yet accustomed to it. 
The Commandant told me not to get depressed, that it would come in 
time ; and it did come shortly afterwards. 

The weather turned rainy, and strangely enough, if it rained dur- 
ing the day, the night was always clear — a terrible disappointment 
to Mouchard. 

" Don't you think it 's rotten to have bad weather all day and fine 
weather at night ? " he said upon his return from Chalons. *' I simply 
must fly at night, and believe me, if my mechanic is there, I '11 begin 
to-night, as it is bright moonlight. I can get away all right, but it 's 
the landing that bothers me. I have an idea ; three torches will be 
enough to light my landing-place. Dominique, stop at the Escadrille 
and call my mechanic," he said to his chauffeur. 

A moment later his motor was humming, and passing in front of 
his torches, he flew off into the dark, and soon I no longer heard the 
noise of his engine overhead. Fifteen minutes later he landed again 
without accident. 

" Old man, it 's wonderful up there — not a breath of air ; it 's sim- 
ply ideal to fly at this time. The visibility is good ; at first one sees 
nothing, and then gradually the eye becomes accustomed to the half 
darkness and the roads can be distinctly seen. Of course, to-night the 
moon is especially bright. To-morrow I will mention it to the Com- 
mandant." 

C 31 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

We entered the house in high spirits, where there was great ex- 
citement, and those who had gone to bed got up again. 

" I say, Mouchard," asked de la Morlaix, " did you hear that plane 
that flew over our field ? " 

" I should say I did, for it was I ! " 

" Is that so ? Really, old man, I congratulate you ; and how did you 
like it?" 

" It is the ideal time for night bombardment, and if the weather 
continues good, imagine how we can surprise those brilliantly lighted 
Boche cantonments ! " 

Enthusiasm was at its height and everybody wanted to go. So it was 
on that very night, that night bombardment was first tried, which 
later opened the way to so many acts of heroism. The next day at 
roll-call. Commandant de Goys called Mouchard. 

" Well, Mouchard, it appears you gave a nocturnal exhibition last 
night. I heard you, and I said to myself, * Who is the fool doing those 
stunts?' " 

" Yes, sir, it was I, and I now request permission officially to do it 
over again." 

" No ; but really do you think that — " 

" I do, sir, and by taking proper precautions, I am free to say that in 
fine weather it is quite possible to conduct night bombardment." 

*< Very well, come in and see me this afternoon and we will organ- 
ize for this evening ; the moon will be pretty fair, and let us hope it 
will be clear." 

" Well, Mouchard, are you going to do it over again to-night ? " 
said de Clerck. 

"Yes, old chap, if the weather holds." 

*' Would you mind if I made a trial flight beforehand ? " 

"Not at all, though you 're crazy to want to do it." 

After dinner he took me by the arm. " Come on, Farre, let 's go over 

C 32 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

to the Commandant's ; there should be a naval officer there who has 
charge of the searchlight signals. The Commandant is waiting for us." 

"Is it all right, Mouchard?" said the Commandant, "and is the 
weather good?" 

" Splendid, sir ; one could read a newspaper by the light of the 
moon." 

" All right ; join your squadron and have everything in readiness in 
half an hour." 

We went out ; the moon was beautiful, there was no breeze, and 
the air was very mild for the month of March. When we reached 
Squadron Headquarters, the searchlight was ready to make the sig- 
nals agreed upon. 

De Clerck, with de Boisdeffre as observer, was making his first try. 
Shortly after the arrival of the Commandant, de Clerck landed. Ap- 
proaching Mouchard, he whispered to him, " Look here, the weather 
is changing up there ; there is a heavy humidity which may change 
into anything." 

"Really?" 

"Yes, be careful." 

" Very well, old man." 

" Are you ready, Mouchard ? " 

" Yes, sir, I only want to change two spark plugs which are broken, 
and I will be ready." 

I asked him timidly to take me with him. 

" You must be crazy," Mouchard replied. 

He went into his tent, which served him also as an office. 

" Maillard," he cried (Maillard was his sergeant observer), " put 
on your flying rig, for you are coming with me." 

" Very well, sir," answered Maillard without hesitation. 

He was so much loved and so admired that any one would have 
died for him without a thought." 

[ 33 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

They got into their machine ; the engine was purring along regu- 
larly ; its noise and the sparks it shot out into the night made it look 
like an infernal machine. He gave it the gas, the mechanics cast off 
the moorings, and the plane shot out into the dark at a speed of sixty 
kilometers an hour. Very soon it left the earth and disappeared from 
view, the noise of the motor being the only indication of its location. 
A small pocket lamp that he lighted from time to time gave us his 
exact position. 

During this time the moon was being covered with a veil ; already 
some drops of rain began falling, and I thought of the warning of de 
Clerck. 

" Let us hope that he comes down in time, for if he does n't, and is 
lost in the mist, he will not see the torches that mark his landing-place, 
and he will surely be killed." 

The noise of the motor grew less and less — they had left us ; my 
heart was saddened ; I felt their going as sorely as if they were never 
to return to us. I could hear nothing now. The night was black — 
there was no moon, and snow had begun to fall. " Oh," I murmured, 
"they are surely lost." 

I peered towards the horizon, and suddenly, about five kilometers 
away, I caught a light which looked like a shooting star falling to 
earth at an angle of about forty-five degrees, and suddenly a great 
light filled the air. Petrified, I grasped the arm of Captain Mache, 
who was near me. 

" He has just fallen — look there — his machine is burning." 

" No — it is n't possible." 

" Who can it be, then ? We no longer hear the noise of his motor." 

Without another word he jumped into his automobile and darted 
off at full speed towards the light, followed by his companions. Alas ! 
— it was he. As quickly as possible we put out the fire which envel- 
oped their bodies, at great risk of burning ourselves ; we dragged 

C 34 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

them from the smoking debris of the machine, which was completely 
destroyed, and they remained there stretched on the ground — both 
of them — lighted tragically by the flames bursting from the gasoline 
tank. 

General Boue, commanding an army corps, who was passing at 
the time, arrived on the scene before us, and standing uncovered, he 
saluted the two heroes who had died in the defense of their country. 
We were stunned and unable to rid our minds of this heroic tragedy. 
The colors painted on the machine were spared by the fire, and stood 
out in all their glory and symbolic purity. The snow was falling fast 
now, and seemed to be weeping at this sight of earthly woe. 

The parlor of the castle was turned into a funeral chapel ; the two 
coffins — side by side — were watched over by two officers until the 
hour of burial. During the obsequies, and while the ceremony was in 
progress, three machines flew overhead, rendering the supreme hon- 
ors. The two heroes rest in the cemetery of Lepine, in the shadow of 
the wonderful Gothic church which the Boche had spared — no one 
knows why ; and not far from there a large oak cross in the open field 
marks the place of their fall. A week afterwards the first group left 
Mellette, and all the machines, as they flew away, dropped flowers 
on their comrades' graves. 



V 

ON THE ROAD TO NANCY 

A SUPERB day, with a radiant sun and dusty white roads. The 
evening before, the Commandant had received orders to leave, 

and to be at Toul, about kilometers from Chalons, in the 

course of the afternoon of the following day. 

The night was passed in preparation ; all material was loaded into 
the tractors, and at ten o'clock the last of them had gone. The con- 
voy took the same road and the planes followed in the air. I could 
not go in a plane, as the pilots under these circumstances always take 
with them their machinists, in case of stalling. At four o'clock in the 
afternoon the entire group was united once more on the aviation 
field of the fortified camp at Toul. 

The Commandant was disgusted, and he was not the only one; 
our group was far too cramped here ; the field was entirely too small. 

" It is not possible to remain here," he said. ** I am going to tele- 
phone for us to keep on to Nancy, as that is our proper place, and 
the Plateau of Malzeville, whose situation for our work could not be 
better, is not occupied j ust now. From there we can attack in all direc- 
tions the principal Boche towns ; and especially as they expect us to 
bombard them and revenge Paris, they should certainly give us that 
place." 

Of course all were agreed about the Plateau of Malzeville, because 
it was near Nancy, a delightful town with a hospitable and charming 
population, and they would certainly enjoy it. 

" Do you know Nancy ? " said the Commandant. 

"Yes, it 's a bully place," I replied. 

At eight o'clock in the evening the decision of the Quartermaster 

i: 36] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

General had been made, and preparations were under way for the 
morrow. 

Nancy was only twenty-five kilometers from Toul. The planes 
received the order to leave first, and in order that they should not 
waste gasoline for nothing, they were to carry a few bombs and de- 
posit them gently, in the course of a large detour, over the Boche lines 
and cantonments. I was a member of this party. In passing the ene- 
my's lines, we were saluted as usual by the heavy artillery, but we 
accomplished our mission and came to earth together on the Plateau 
of Maize ville. The tractors arrived one after another, and every one of 
them was covered with white dust, which made them look like clowns. 

The Plateau of Malzeville is really a part of the dominating heights 
of Nancy and of the great natural defenses of the place, against which 
the Attila of 1914 threw his hordes. It seems that he was there at 
the moment of the first attack — in gala costume on horseback, and 
covered with his big white cloak — ready to make a triumphant entry 
into the city. He was compelled, however, to turn back stunned and 
white with impotent rage. That defeat must have cost him dear, for 
he never repeated the attack. 

It was one of the great victories of General de Castelnau, for appar- 
ently Nancy was not to be defended; General de Castelnau thought 
differently, however, and he demonstrated the necessity of it. 

The plateau was free of any military organization, and the Com- 
mandant said we could arrange it to suit ourselves ; plans were made, 
tents erected, and on the following day the camp was at least pro- 
visionally installed. 

"Ah," said I, "there is Do-Hu coming from the mayor's office 
with his hands full of lodging billets." Every one received one. 

" Now," he said, " everybody for himself. It is night, we are in the 
war zone, and there are no lights in the city ; so get on the best way 
you can." 

C37 : 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

I looked a long time for the house of my host, for I had eaten noth- 
ing during the day. Finally I lost my way and arrived at a bridge 
which I tried to cross. 

" Halt! " called a sentinel. 

I made myself known, but he would not recognize me. 

"You have n't the password?" he said. 

"No," I replied. 

" Well, then, you cannot pass ! " 

" Will you please call the sergeant of the guard ? " I asked. 

I then explained to the sergeant and he persuaded me not to go to 
the city, which was too far off; and besides, he said, it was too late, and 
everything was closed. 

" Oh, Lord, and I am so hungry. What do you suppose that little 
place over there is ? " I asked. 

"That is a bakeshop." 

" And alongside of it ? " 

"A grocery store." 

" Won't they at least give me something to eat there ? " 

" Oh, I suppose so," he replied. 

Four cents' worth of bread, some cheese, and a hard-boiled egg 
— all washed down with a bottle of wine — three quarters of which 
I left to the soldiers of the post. It was all swallowed in a very 
short time. 

"Now," said I, "to look for a room." I showed my billet to the 
sergeant of the guard. 

" Do you know these people?" I asked. 

" Yes, very well; they are very nice people, and will be glad to 
take you in." 

" Is it far from here? " I asked. 

" No ; take that street leading up the hill, and the house you want 
is the second one after passing the fourth street on your left." 

i 38 ] 




< 

a 
i-i 
> 

Ui 

tsi 

< 

o 

< 

w 

H 



o 

I— I 

> 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

I was worn out with fatigue and covered with dust, but I finally 
arrived and rang the bell. A young girl about twenty years of age 
opened the door and received me with a pleasant smile ; she took my 
lodging billet and carried it to her mother. 

** It is a pity, sir, that you have come so late, for you could have 
dined with us, and we should have had time to prepare your room." 

" My dear madam, believe me, I had no choice of the hour of arri- 
val here." 

" Never mind, it will really make no difference ; my daughter will 
have my room to-night, and you can take hers. You are worn out, 
and perhaps you would rather go to bed at once." 

" I would prefer to clean up a little first." 

" All right : I will show you your room." 

" A perfectly charming little place, and what a difference after the 
smell of oil, grease, and gasoline of our planes !" 

" There you are, sir. Good-night." 

" Thank you. I regret very much coming so late ; I hope you will 
excuse me." 

After washing, I went to bed promptly and slept the sleep of the 
just. 

Gay as a lark, I ascended the slope which leads to the Plateau of 
Malzeville, saddened from time to time as I thought of my absent 
friend Mouchard. The plateau was two hundred meters above the city 
of Nancy, which was nicknamed "La Coquette " and stretched along 
the slope of the valley. The ascent to the plateau was very steep, but 
picturesque, and was studded with pretty cottages, built in little fruit 
gardens filled with flowers. 

Spring had already begun to have its vivifying effect on this charm- 
ing scene. Trees and bushes were covered early by a tender and 
beautiful green leafage, in which one could see buds of white and 

C 39] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

pink flowers ready to burst. Nature, the great generatrix, heedless 
of the sound of guns, followed its own wonderful way. 

After a tour of inspection at the escadrille, I took advantage of an 
invitation of my friend de la Morlaix, and went with him in an auto- 
mobile to visit Nancy, where the Commandant had already gone at 
the request of the General Commandant La Place, and where we saw 
them both shortly afterwards. 

" Let us go up on the plateau, where we can talk. Are you staying 
at Nancy, de la Morlaix ? " 

" For a little while. Commandant," replied de la Morlaix. 

" Good morning, Farre. How are you ? " 

*' Very well, indeed. Commandant." 

«' Have you seen Nancy, and how do you like it .? " 

" The people are delightful. One can see they have suffered, and 
are happy at having escaped German occupation. How they love the 
soldiers, and above all, the aviators." 

"Do you think so?" An amused smile spread over his face. 
" Have you been to the place Stanislas ? " 

"Yes, sir, it is a perfect little treasure in architecture." 

" You were n't familiar with it .? " 

" I am sorry to acknowledge it. Commandant." 

*♦ All right, let's go up. How far along are you with your paint- 
ings ? " 

My period of incubation was finished and my eye practiced ; the 
time had come for me to begin work. We arrived at his house. 

" My dear Farre, I am going to tell you my plans, but don't men- 
tion them to a soul. The High Command understands the advantage 
that can be had from the squadron in this place. Look at the chart ; 
there to the northwest you see the German towns, the great factories, 
the big terminals of Treves, Metz, Strasbourg, Dieuze, Thionville, 
Saarbruck, Karlsruhe, Ludwigshafen, Manheim, Tribourg, Dillingen, 

C 40 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

and even Essen. All these places are in our radius of action. What 
do you think about it ? " 

** I think, sir, we shall be well able to hold out up to the time of a 
complete victory over the enemy — that is, until the end of the war." 

" That is my opinion, too." 

" All right, sir, your plan inspires me ; all important events in the 
air or on the ground will be put on my canvas." 

*' But then you will certainly have plenty of work." 

" What is your next move, sir ? " 

" I will tell you about that in a few days; at present it is a dead 
secret, for it is absolutely necessary that the surprise be complete ; 
walls have ears (il y a de I'espionage dans I'air)." 



VI 

BOMBING RAIDS 

OUR aviation field was laid out. A battery of artillery composed 
of two pieces of 75 mm. had to be moved, as it interfered with 
the landing-site. 

A lane of cherry trees divided the plateau into two parts. At one 
end there was a big deserted farmhouse which belonged to a Boche 
before the war, and which he used as a center of observation and spy- 
ing. This was quickly occupied by our flyers and mechanics. The 
artillery had sawed off two of the largest cherry trees at a height of 
about one meter and a half. So as to be able to fire more easily on 
passing enemy planes, that had recently bombarded Nancy, they 
placed on each one of these stumps one of their pieces. The effect 
was beautifully picturesque in the midst of our machines, and in look- 
ing at these tree-trunks capped with guns, we thought how glorious 
it was for the cherry trees to die for the service of the country. 

There were no flights, or at least very short ones made in simple 
reconnaissance, the order being not to use the planes in any other 
way, for they were to be kept ready for anything that the enemy 
might start. We all wondered what was going to happen, and a week 
later the Commandant called together the pilots and their observers. 

" Gentlemen," he said, " we have a glorious mission to accomplish, 
and if the weather remains the same to-morrow, the squadron is go- 
ing to bombard Ludwigshafen. Everybody look at the map." 

" That is pretty far off," some one said. 

*'Look here," said the Commandant, who had heard the remark, 
*' what do you mean ? I worked it all out and am satisfied that if the 
weather continues as it is now, we shall have after our return at least 

C 42 ] 




-^^^^ 



BOMBARDMENT OF KARLSRUHE BY THE FIRST BOMBARDMENT GROUP 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

fifty quarts of gasoline in our tanks, and besides, these last four days 
I had you change the tanks with this end in view. Furthermore, 
Ludwigshafen contains the most important chemical factory in Ger- 
many. To be sure, it is a perilous mission, but bear in mind that one 
well-placed shell will deprive the enemy for some time of one of the 
most necessary materials in powder-making ; the game is worth try- 
ing, anyway, and I have full confidence in all of you, and that you 
will all return." 

Proud chief, he never thought of himself. 

*' All right, gentlemen, and not a word. Study your maps, and to- 
night you shall have my final instructions. You remain here, Farre ; 
I will not take you to-morrow. Some one has got to stay here as dis- 
patcher," he said to me; but seeing my disappointed look, he added, 
** There will be plenty of times when you can go, and besides, 1 prom- 
ise to give you an exact description of what happens." 

It was a beautiful evening, and after dinner, as every one was pres- 
ent, there was a long discussion between pilots and observers. They 
studied the maps and the routes which it would be necessary to follow. 

" How many shells shall we take along ? " 

" WeU, as for me," said de la Morlaix, " I am going alone. An 
observer would be bored to death, and besides, I can carry four more 
shells in his place ; that will make at least twelve sugarplums that I 
shall drop on the heads of those good and dear friends — Ah, the 
swine ! That is all ; I am going off to bed. Good-night, gentlemen, 
to-morrow at five o'clock." 

At this hint every one got up and went off to rest in preparation for 
the long raid, the most exhausting and perilous since the opening of 
hostilities. 

At five o'clock the sun rose — an immense globe — the golden 
glow flooding the plateau with its slanting rays, and revealing the 
great, patient, inert birds that were waiting the touch of the master 

C 43 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

hand to inspire them with hfe and strength. The faithful lark rose 
with graceful flight into the purple azure, filling the air with his 
charming and ceaseless warbling, and looking down upon his big 
brothers, he seemed to call them after him and to be their guide. 

The pilots and observers arrived one at a time, and soon were all 
assembled. Twenty-three planes of each squadron were lined up with 
their noses to the wind. The weather was the same as the evening 
before — no perceptible change. The Commandant mustered his 
heroes for their last instructions. 

" Well, gentlemen, I trust you understand everything; keep your 
group intact and follow me; I will lead." 

The motors hummed. " They 're gassing well," said the machinists. 

The Commandant took the air, piloted by that skillful pilot, Bunau 
VariUa ; the others followed him at minute intervals, and twenty-five 
minutes afterward, they were flying above my head, fiUing the air 
with a deafening noise, and presenting a wonderful spectacle. They 
seemed like a swarm of big bees flying through space. They remained 
ten minutes above the plateau, taking height, and becoming smaller 
and smaller, until finally like a flight of swans I saw them disappear 
over Nancy — which was still asleep — and steer to the eastward. 

All was now serene on the plateau, except the hearts of men. The 
larks had once more taken possession of their domain, and sang the 
return of the winged warriors. Lounging in a chair, I wondered how 
many of these I should never see again, how many would remain with 
the enemy, and how many would return. 

The contractor for aeroplanes, Voisin, had desired to be present 
on this occasion. 

" I count on a loss of three or four," he said to me, " but no more." 
There passed two hours of terrible waiting. 

Imagining every kind of danger I waited — when at last, I saw on 
the horizon a black dot — then two, then three, then four. 

C 44 3 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" There, they are returning ! " cried everybody. 

The first comer grew larger as he approached ; the others followed 
him closely. 

" Was it a good run ? " we asked. 

" Yes, not bad, but I don't want any more of it." 

" You were not prevented from doing your work ? " 

"No; the surprise was complete; a few cannon shots from the 
city, but very badly aimed." 

" Did you do any damage ? " 

" Sure. I can say for certain there were at least three or four fires 
— one of our planes remains — I don't know which one — it was 
ahead of us. After I had bombarded, I saw him land ; his motor must 
have stopped, for he came down about fifty kilometers from the 
city." 

" Could n't you make out his plane ? " 

" No; it was too far off," 

"Who could it be?" I thought, distressed beyond measure by 
doubt and uncertainty. 

One after another they came in. We counted ourselves and called 
to one another — the Commandant was absent. It was he, then, and 
Bunau Varilla who were prisoners. The group was horrified ; this 
loss was the greatest we could have suffered. Our unit had lost its 
chief, aviation one of its best pilots, and the army one of its finest 
officers. 

It took us a long time to recover from the loss of our chief. De 
Goys was an accomplished soldier, of fine character, young — about 
thirty-four — and a true aristocrat; to his high natural qualities he 
joined a certain amiability that softened his apparent haughtiness. He 
was a man of simple manners and retiring disposition. All of his sub- 
ordinates regarded him as a chief of great personal gifts — sans peur 
et sans reproche — who set a high example on every occasion. 

C 45 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

He did not remain, however, a prisoner to the end ; the French 
recaptured him, but unfortunately his absence lasted for three years, 
which were three years of great loss to his country. We met again 
before my departure on my mission to the United States, and we 
talked for a long time of his experiences, and he told me how he was 
forced down. 

" Do you remember," he said, *< the great care that Bunau Varilla 
gave to our machine ? One never would have thought that our ma- 
chine would stall. We landed in a field where I hoped at first to make 
repairs and get away, but I soon found it impossible, as the magneto 
was done for, so we had to accept the inevitable. 

" Bunau looked at me with tears in his eyes. * We 've tried every- 
thing, old man, there is no hope.' I told Varilla to set fire to the ma- 
chine and come and sit with me by the side of the road ; they would 
soon come and take us. Poor old machine — unconscious cause of 
our lot ! We watched it burn with aching hearts. That was its fate ; 
and if it could have talked it would have preferred death rather than 
serve the enemy. But, old man, the worst of it was to see the rest of 
our squadron pass over our heads returning to the nest after having 
accomplished their mission. Seated as we were, side by side, sunk in 
thought, we groaned over our shattered career. Good-bye to the 
dreams of heroic exploits ; we must now suffer our captivity. Already 
people were running from all points of the compass ; we gave our- 
selves up; we were prisoners." 

" And what about your escape ? " I asked. 

" We made two attempts ; one resulted in my being put in soli- 
tary confinement; the second succeeded, however, and here I am." 

" But you have n't changed at all and you 're looking splendidly." 

** Well, I have been three weeks getting back to my old self. I 
wish you could have seen me before that." 

His escape was the result of unheard-of audacity. 

[146 3 




BOMBARDMENT OF DILLINGEN BY THE FIRST BOMBARDMENT GROUP 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

But I must get back to my story of the first group. The morale of 
its personnel was too strong to be affected for any length of time. 
Captain Wuillermoz, the senior now, took command and organized 
the first bombardment of Karlsruhe (Duchy of Baden), a more im- 
portant place than Ludwigshafen ; for Karlsruhe was a very smart 
summer resort, much frequented by the best German society. The 
raid was determined upon in reprisal for a German raid on Luneville, 
which was an open and unfortified town, and where a number of 
women and children were killed. 

From late reports we learned that great importance was attached 
to this raid. It may be recalled, in passing, that the Queen of Sweden, 
who was summering at Karlsruhe, lost her head and ran down the 
street in her nightgown. 

Every day some important German factories received a visit from 
our planes. The Plateau of Maize ville became the most important 
center of aviation in the whole army. The first group had just got a 
new commander ; two other groups in the same category had come 
to join us ; they had just been created and made the second and third 
group, so actually there were nearly a hundred Voisin bombarding 
planes on the plateau. 

Roads were laid out, big hangars at last sheltered the planes, wooden 
barracks took the place of our tents, which were no longer service- 
able ; in a word, it was absolute luxury. Aviation felt at last the effects 
of the public will, and became at once a real air force, gathering under 
its protecting wings its great mother, the French army. 

In June, 1915, there occurred a series of big bombardments. The 
first group no longer went out alone ; the second and third also took 
part in these, but the first always led, and surpassed, in results, the 
other two put together. Its new chief possessed in large part the 
same qualities as de Goys, but he had a different manner of expres- 

[47 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

sion. Lieutenant de Vaisseau Cayla was a well-educated young naval 
officer of good manners ; while distinguished-looking, he was of only 
medium height, and, like all good sailor officers, a fine mess-mate. 
Beneath his amiability he hid a will of iron and an intrepid courage, 
amounting at times to recklessness. He soon restored the morale of 
the group and carefully nurtured it. 

The three aviation groups which occupied the plateau at this time 
were joined by two squadrons of fighting planes of the Nieuport type, 
all under the command of Commandant Roisin, "dead on the field of 
honor." Under his command the bombardments of Dieuze, Metz, 
Saarbruck, Treves, Dillingen, and Pechelbrunn took place, and other 
places of military importance as well as important railway stations. 

The bombardment of Dillingen was on a larger scale than any yet 
undertaken ; more than sixty planes took part in it. Dillingen was a 
great industrial center filled with factories, and its attack caused a great 
panic among the workers, which lasted for some time. Thanks to 
that raid, several prisoners who had been forced to work there got 
away and crossed into our lines, and from them we had an exact ac- 
count of the result secured by our exploit. 

Saarbruck came next, and it cost us dear enough in loss of pilots ; 
Captain Bousquet died there, and his mechanic observer. Bousquet 
was a fine soldier whom I had known before the war and to whom I 
became much attached. 

The sky was cloudy and it was thought best to attack by taking 
every advantage of the rifts in the clouds. Just before we began, 
Captain Bousquet passed on ; a shell struck his plane fairly in the mid- 
dle — so we thought, at least, for we could see a big puff^ of black 
smoke spread out over the white cloud, which must have been the burst- 
ing of the supply of bombs he carried. Nothing was ever found of 
them or their machine. 

The observer, de Losques, was a brilliant Parisian artist who met 

c: 48 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FR.\NXE 

death there like\\ise — both he and his pilot — in a fight vdxh a hos- 
tile plane. The}" crashed to earth \\ithin the enemy lines, and militar}' 
honors were paid them for their brave fight. 

I was on the field waiting for the return of my group, which had 
not yet come in ; two were missing — two brothers. Captains Fequant 
Albert Fequant, one of the senior French pilots, had made the flight 
as observer and was piloted by Sergeant Xiox ; the younger brother, 
who later took command of one of the most important pursuit groups, 
was his o\sTi pHot, but carried his mechanic as machine-gunner. At 
that moment he was returning, and I recognized him by the blue star 
painted on his machine, which was the distinctive sign of the famous 
V.B. loi that he commanded. I went up to him. 

" How do you do. Captain r " 

" Is that you, Farre ? I did n't know j^ou with that helmet." 

" Was ever}-thing O.K. ? " I asked. 

"Sure," he answered, "but it was tough work. Those damned 
clouds held us up. Why the de\il did we aU disperse ? There must 
have been some smash-up. I caught sight of several fights going on ; 
there was one plane in particular that I thought belonged to us, and 
which I saw I should have to rescue from a bad mess. 

" As I made a turn I caught sight of him fighting two Boche Rum- 
piers. I made a half-turn to get to his assistance, a cloud hid them 
for an instant, and before I could get up with them, out of that cloud 
came a Boche plane directly for me. Poor thing I He certainly got it 
in the neck — machine-gun bullets to the left of him and to the right 
of him, and do\^'n he went in flames. There was not the slightest 
trace of our plane ; I suppose he got away — have the}' all got back ? " 

"No, Captain, your brother is still missing." 

" Oh, he '11 get back shortly," said the Captain ; and peeling off his 
fl}Tng-rig, he passed quietly into his tent 

" What 's going on over there r " I said to myself, seeing a gather- 

L 49 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

ing crowd of men running towards a plane. As quickly as I could, 
but with an uneasy presentiment, I joined them and forced my way 
through the crowd of mechanics. There I found Pilot Niox standing 
beside his machine, which was painted white, and covered with blood. 
The body of Albert Fequant hung limply over the edge of the plane. 
The doctor was there. 

" Be careful," the doctor said ; " perhaps he is only badly wounded. 
Bring a stretcher quickly and lift him out gently." 

" Has his brother got back ?" asked de la Morlaix. 

"Yes," I replied, "go in and see him and break the news to him 
quietly." 

They carried the body into a tent and the nurse stripped it and 
washed the wounds ; there were two balls in the head and one in the 
arm ; the brains were oozing from the skull. " He died instantly," said 
the doctor, "and did not suffer." 

There was no fault to find with the pilot, for from the moment he saw 
the body of Captain Fequant fall, he retained his presence of mind; 
he seized the body by the clothing and kept it from falling, and he held 
it so, flying through space until he landed — a tragic enough landing 
and the most wonderful in the history of war, past and present. Niox 
was given the military cross at once and by telephone, as the only just 
reward for such courage. Captain Fequant' s brother, who was told 
of the loss, did not shed a tear; he bore the shock like a true soldier. 
His one consolation was the knowledge that he had revenged him 
without knowing it, and that the man he had brought down was really 
his brother's slayer. 

Such was the life and duty of the bombarding flyers then, and it 
continues just the same to-day with only such changes as were made 
necessary by the constantly improving defense of the enemy. 

The heavens are barred up to a certain altitude, which varies in the 
neighborhood of four thousand meters ; one must pass over enemy 

[ 50.] 




TRAGIC RETURN OF CAPTAIN ALBERT FE QUANT 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

lines at least that high, for otherwise one runs the risk of being struck 
by enemy shells. Even at that altitude it is hard — in fact almost im- 
possible — to get back again without an encounter, for the enemy has 
been warned and has had time to prepare. 

After several of these undesirable experiences, we admitted that 
night bombardment was an absolute necessity, and to the loist 
Squadron, V.B., fell the honor of putting it into practice. This honor 
was their due, for had not Lieutenant Mouchard and Sergeant Mail- 
lard lost their lives at this work six months before? 

The railroad station of Metz was our first objective. Captain Lau- 
rens, the successor of Captain Fequant, as the latter had been called 
to command a pursuit group, took charge of the V. B. loi. They 
bombarded more often at night than they did during the day. The 
valley of the Meuse and of the Moselle offered splendid objectives; 
the French factories, manned by the enemy, turned out iron and shells 
used against us, and it was very necessary to destroy them, to put them 
out of business. Cantonments, too, made excellent targets, as well as 
big railroad stations and running trains. The Germans were greatly 
surprised at these night bombardments, and for a long time were at 
a loss to know how to defend themselves against an invisible enemy 
who struck in the dark. 

In repelling the attack on Verdun, a steadfast and strong defense 
was required. The flying squadrons of Malzeville were detached and 
flew to the rescue of the menaced city. A part of the V.B. loi, which 
arrived first, took counsel of its previous experience, and harassed the 
enemy continuously all night. They kept him from getting any rest 
by dropping bombs on woods, where bivouac fires plainly indicated 
the position of the troops. On railway stations and on cantonments 
there was a perfect rain of bombs. 

During the daylight hours our fighting planes kept up a series of 
real aerial battles in which Navarre distinguished himself, and in 

[ 51 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

which Boilot and many others found a hero's death. About a week 
after this, the supremacy so vahantly striven for fell into our hands, 
and we remained masters of the air. 

As we had so much more to do here than elsewhere, some rein- 
forcements were found necessary, and the second part of Squadron, 
V.B. loi and 114 was installed near by at Autrecourt. 

Dear old Mouchard could not be there, but if his body had gone, 
his spirit remained behind, so that inspired by his memory, our squad- 
ron accomplished every night the feats that he had dreamed of, and 
the Boches made no reply, for they had not yet dared to risk them- 
selves in the dark, though by now we found that very agreeable. 

It was about this time that I took part in my first night bombard- 
ment, for I had to do and see everything if I was to be a painter of 
aviation. I rarely mention my paintings, for it does not seem necessary, 
and I only show them to you as illustrating this book and as an accom- 
paniment as we go along, but they were never made for that purpose. 



VII 

NIGHT BOMBARDING— AUTRECOURT, NEAR VERDUN — 

SPRING, 1916 

A BATTERY truck, loaded, furnishes the hght for six powerful 
. searchlights, which amply light the field, and a plane passes in 
front of them, runs along the lighted surface, soars up from the ground, 
and disappears in the darkness. The plane is furnished with small 
reflectors at the side, which are used to make signals in the event of 
being forced by the stalling of the engine to land in some field ; at the 
end of one wing is fixed a green light, and at the end of the opposite 
wing a red light. Sailors know what they are — they are "Naviga- 
tion" lights. 

Autrecourt was a little bit of a town of about three hundred inhabit- 
ants, and upon our arrival we found it occupied by a half- regiment of 
artillery ; of course, all space was taken. An observation squadron had 
its cantonment there, and our first visit was to them, for we had not 
had anything to eat that evening. We accepted with pleasure a part 
of their supper. 

Before long I was elected mess caterer, and in that capacity I was 
obliged to supply food for all the officers. The village was very poor 
and had been ransacked, and could only furnish me with some bread. 
For all other provisions I had to go every morning in an automobile 
to Bar le Due, a town about forty kilometers distant, well known for 
its jellies and jams. 

It was the center of supply for the whole Verdun sector, and all 
day long the city swarmed with soldiers of every arm, for General 
P6tain had established his headquarters there. 

Fresh merchandise and provisions of all kinds were snapped up in the 

[53 3 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

twinkling of an eye, and any one who came to market late went away 
empty-handed. It was not a very desirable condition in which to re- 
turn to camp and to one's comrades, for they had chronically empty 
stomachs, and in order to avoid that situation I always kept on hand 
a reserve stock of canned goods, which served to meet the necessity. 

*' Is n't that right. Captain ? " 

"Surely, old man, and then, a la guerre comme a la guerre." 

In one of the old houses here, I ran across a good old woman who, 
for a franc a day, was perfectly willing to use her dining-room for the 
mess, but she added that she expected me to board her besides. 

"Of course, my good woman," I said to her. "One person more 
or less makes no difference." 

We were now sleeping in tents ; the winter this year was cold and 
very wet, and it was seldom, indeed, on turning out in the morning, 
that I failed to step into water. We often longed for the castle of 
Nancy ; at this place there was nothing, a condition which belonged 
to the beginning of the war. The planes had the same sort of treat- 
ment, and were parked in the open. But at last, with the new moon, 
the weather changed and became fair. 

" Say, Farre, we must dine early this evening. If the weather fore- 
cast is all right, we will start our first expedition to-night." 

" Will you take me. Captain? " I ventured. 

"No," said he, with a slight hesitation ; " I do not know the coun- 
try well enough yet, and I fear I shall get lost." 

" Well, how about to-morrow ? " 

" If we get along all right to-day, you shall go." 

"All right, sir; and in order to help things along, I have directed 
the chief cook to roast a half-dozen pheasants, and I have a bottle of 
Burgundy which I just found." 

"That sounds good," he said, his mouth watering; "where did 
you find all that?" 

C 54 3 




NIGHT BOMBARDMENT OF THE GARE DES SABLONS, METZ 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" We simply went out hunting in an automobile this morning with 
Lieutenant Sordet. You can rest assured that it won't be the last one 
you will eat." And in fact, he regaled himself with them more than 
once. 

" Farre, those pheasants were delicious ; we have got to do that 
over again," said the Captain, smoking a ten-cent cigar. " What is 
the weather outlook for this evening ? " 

Here is the message. The force of the wind is 

5 miles an hour at 5 meters of altitude. 
10 miles at 100 meters 

5 miles at 300 meters 

15 miles at 1000 meters 

8 miles at 1200 meters 

5 miles at 1500 meters 

Looking at it, the Captain read out in a loud voice, *' Light clouds 
and fine weather in the early part of the night. That's fine," he said. 
"We shall start to-night. — Hey, there, Dominic" — the faithful 
chauffeur of the V.B. loi. 

" Sir," replied Dominic. 

" Run over to the aviation field and tell them to start the fires. We 
shall leave in half an hour." 

The distance from the aviation field to the village was not more 
than fifteen hundred yards, which we easily walked. 

*' All observers and pilots will gather in my tent in flying rig," said 
Captain Laurens. 

There was a bed there, his desk, and a big chart of the Verdun 
front. Ten minutes later the twenty-four pilots and the bombarding 
observers were gathered in the tent. This was a solemn moment to 
the Chief, who felt the weight of his responsibility. 

" Now, gentlemen, quiet if you please ; stop joking, and listen ; 
those who may not understand must say so," he said in a grave voice ; 

[55 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

and pointing to the chart, he issued his orders and recommendations. 
" Partridge will leave first, and the next one will follow five minutes 
later, and so on throughout, each one's departure being spaced five 
minutes from the one preceding. You will take your height with 
lighted navigation lights, flying always to the right ; you will leave 
finally in the direction of the objective after having reached the height 
of fifteen hundred meters. The return will be accomplished in such 
and such a place. Now, go ahead, gentlemen ! " 

It was a perfectly beautiful night, and in my goatskin coat I strolled 
out of the tent, and reached a small hill, where I could have a view of 
the entire aviation field, illuminated as it was by six powerful search- 
lights. 

The planes passed in front of these, and throwing their shadows on 
the ground, they appeared like enormous insects flying around a 
lighted street-lamp. The noise of the motors, the flames, and the 
torches placed about the field made it look like a night fair. The first 
passed through the lighted zone, headed upwards, and disappeared in 
the darkness ; five minutes later the second, and afterwards the ten 
others followed. Soon I saw above me only shooting stars moving 
slowly. The humming of the motors grew less and less, and the camp 
was left in silence. 

Lying flat on the ground, I followed with my eyes the twelve bright 
spots moving towards the enemy lines ; as they approached them, their 
lights went out and they gave no sign of their passage, except the noise 
of their motors. The ground was shaking under me ; for fully an hour 
the heavy artillery had been bombarding Verdun. Great lights illu- 
minated the horizon, then went out, and then again lighted the entire 
heavens; they kept on incessantly — keeping the sky constantly illu- 
minated. 

We replied, and I could make out very well the shells of our guns, 
and could distinguish readily the flights of our projectiles and those 

[ 56 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

of the enemy as they buried themselves in the earth, and bursting 
with terrific prolonged sounds seemingly tore up the ground. Search- 
lights swept the heavens for our planes ; when one was found, all 
guns took it for a target. Flare rockets, a German invention, intended 
to set us on fire, moved through the air. " What a grand and tragic 
scene, and how beautiful viewed from our planes," I murmured. 

" To-morrow," I said to myself, " I shall be there with them." 

This heavy bombardment continued with a deafening noise. I was 
interrupted in my sad meditations by the faint noise of a motor, slowly 
getting louder and louder. Its searchlight was looking for the land- 
ing, like a railroad train entering a station, asking with its whistle if 
the road is clear. This was the first to come back, and the others ap- 
peared in turn, planing down and gracefully taking ground. In the 
Captain's tent, one by one, they made their reports, which were im- 
mediately sent to the Headquarters Staff. 

Midnight, and time to go to bed ! I lighted a cigarette and turned 
in, lulled to sleep by the fierce bombardment, which kept up contin- 
ually. 

At daybreak I was awakened by more cannon shots; I arose and 
put my head out of my tent. The sun shone in the soft sky; the burst- 
ing of shells from our anti-aircraft guns placed little tufts of smoke 
upon the azure of the sky. 

"There's a Boche; he's coming back to give us a run for our 
money." 

I hastily dressed myself and ran out to see what had happened. 

My comrades were grumbling, " Why is he coming to bother us 
now ? Can't he let us alone ? Why does n't he do as we do and fly at 
night, the lazy dog ! " 

He was now over the village; I saw his bombs drop. They struck 
at one side, raising clouds of dust. One failed to explode but made a 
dull sound. Now he was directly over us. I threw myself on the 

[57 3 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

ground face down — although I had only one chance in a thousand 
of being struck. Ah, he was turning around ! He had taken fright at 
another little black point — one of our planes. Unfortunately, how- 
ever, the Boche was too high; we could not reach him before he had 
returned within his lines. 

It was only six o'clock; what should I do? Not go to bed again, 
certainly. It was a superb morning, so I took my box of colors and 
started to work, putting on canvas what I had seen the evening be- 
fore. / 

We had now a succession of beautiful nights; the moon rose 
late, and we waited until it was high in the heavens before start- 
ing on our expedition. The day before, the Captain had given me 
permission to make my first night flight, but luck was against me. 
Unaccountably, the machine refused to work ; after having left the 
earth, and entered into complete darkness at an altitude of one hun- 
dred meters, I noticed a thumping in the motor ; the machine turned 
her nose downward, being no longer pushed by her own power, and 
I wondered what we were going to fall on. 

Captain Laurens, knowing that he had to land — that it was inev- 
itable — shut off his gas to prevent a fire, if possible. The machine 
struck the ground with a terrific shock, bounded into the air, and 
ricocheted several times over a ploughed field, but our little search- 
light saved us ; an enormous tree was right ahead, and the Captain 
had just time to give a quick turn to the steering-wheel, which threw 
the plane to the right. 

"Look out for the bombs! " he said; "they might explode. See 
if they have moved. Were n't you paralyzed with fear ? " 

"No; to tell you the truth, I did n't have time to be afraid. The 
plane is pretty well broken up." 

" Oh, it 's done for; anyhow, our show is over for this evening." 

[58 3 




RETURN FROM A NIGHT BOMBARDMENT LANDING-FIELD 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

The machinists, attracted by our searchHght, came running, bring- 
ing with them a stretcher. 

" Thank you for your kind attention," I said. I had a bad blow on 
the head, but all the same, I felt the stretcher to be superfluous. 

"Look here," said one, "you don't seem to appreciate that you 
had a narrow escape; it was one out of a hundred." 

The Captain was angry at having missed his flight. He was pres- 
ent when his pilots left, resigned enough to his fate, but not happy. 

The next night I had my second trial. 

" I shall not take you," said the Captain; " I want to go much far- 
ther than the objective set by the General Headquarters of the Army. 
I will look up an observer who is lighter than you ; it is absolutely 
necessary." 

I thought to myself that it was simply a pretense, and that he was 
superstitious. I did n't stop to argue with him, but inquired if there 
was a pilot without an observer. 

"I am one," said Sergeant Fernand, a man whom I did not 
know ; " my observer is sick, and if you want to take me, we will go 
together." 

" Fine ! Let's go to it ! " 

The target for the night was the railroad station at G. P., about 
forty kilometers in the rear of the enemy's lines; the signal reports 
stated that there was great concentration of material and troops at 
that point ; doubtless the enemy was going to take advantage of the 
darkness to place these to best advantage, and it was necessary to 
prevent this. 

Fernand was a good pilot, and a man who took care of his own plane. 
I inspected our bombs and then got into the machine ; the motor ran 
beautifully and we started along at good speed. We soon left the 
ground and commenced our night voyage; I kept my ears on the 
motor and my eyes in front of me. 

C 59 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

It was a beautiful night, with no wind except that made by the speed 
of the machine. At first, my eyes were bhnded by the passing rays of 
searchhghts ; I could see absolutely nothing. Little by little, I recov- 
ered my normal vision, however, and I could make out the contours of 
the ground. There was a village just beneath us; the houses appar- 
ently in ruins, while a yellow light filtered through some of the win- 
dows, resembling fireflies in the grass. I could make out the roads and 
a little river which wound around, reflecting in places the silvery light 
of the moon. We kept turning continually towards the right, all lamps 
and searchlights going, not only from those beneath us, but from our 
friends above. I glanced at the ground — it appeared in miniature ; I 
looked at the altitude, and it read one thousand meters. The last of the 
planes had left the ground and disappeared. We had all started. 

The sky was a beautiful bluish-green ; the moon brilliant, and the 
surrounding stars pale in comparison; light clouds, visible in the 
moonlight, moved slowly with it like an escort. 

Before getting into the danger zone, I thought of the motor. It 
seemed normal — yes, no pounding, and cylinders perfect and not 
heated. I could now devote myself to contemplation of the scene for 
the next ten minutes. Every faculty was alert — my thoughts ran 
riot ; eyes and brain worked together. One passed along to the other 
everything I saw, whether material or immaterial. We shut our 
navigation lights ; we heard the guns firing furiously beneath us — it 
was like wild fireworks. 

Everywhere there were rockets and fuses detonating with all the 
colors of the rainbow for minutes at a time — then suddenly going 
out. Some of these were flare rockets. I could clearly see the barrage 
fire of the 75's falling in our own lines, the big guns joining their thun- 
derings in a common voice, loud and strong. Sometimes a light re- 
mained after the bursting of a shell, and in that case we knew that 
something had caught fire. Farther back I saw an immense light ; it 

ceo] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

was the city of Verdun burning. High in the heavens, and not far 
above us, great shells were bursting. 

Fernand slapped me on the knee, and pointing to a plane, he said, 
"There 's one getting it in the neck ; what 's he after, anyway? " 

" He is now passing over Romagne. There are the three search- 
lights of the aviation field looking for him. Ah ! they have him ! No ! 
the idiots have lost him ! They could not have seen him ! " 

The chasers got under way and went up like serpents in the 
heavens. 

**Ah," I said, "look out — there's one of them coming our 
way." 

" Heavens, yes ! — but I still have time to dodge him." 

A little turn, and I saw it pass within a hundred meters of us. I had 
a chance to observe that particular engine of war — ten or twelve 
incendiary globes connected by a chain. I wonder what their motive 
power is ; do they go up by their own action, or are they fired from 
guns? 

Without knowing it, we got into the thick of a fight, and we ran 
lightly to the sound of the guns. At one time the enemy's searchlights 
blinded us, but by a sudden twist of the helm, we shot out of the glare, 
leaving our place vacant for those who followed us. Calm returned to 
us ; we were back of the Boche lines, steering straight for a bright 
light, which was G. P. In saying that calm reestablished itself I should 
add that, since the start, there had really been no disturbance of it ; the 
noise of the engine was preeminent and prevented any of the other 
noises reaching us. The result was that we saw everything and heard 
nothing, except perhaps a belated cannon shot, which burst about fifty 
meters from us, right in our wake, giving us a forward blast. 

" Are we steering in the right direction ? " asked Fernand. 

"Yes," said I; "it's right over there." 

From time to time I looked over my shoulder to verify our position; 

ceo 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

it would never do to lose sight altogether of the searchlights of our 
camping-ground. Yes — they were directly behind us ; small — oh, 
so very small ! Off to the left were those of Clermont and to the right 
those of Souilly ; so far, so good. 

We were approaching our goal — a kilometer more only ; but 
already the enemy had been bombed ; he had hastily put out all lights, 
excepting only those, of course, which our shells had lighted. 

I noticed several fires. It was our turn now, and I dropped one 
— two — three — four bombs ; again — one — two — three — four 
bombs, at intervals, over our goal, and as I bent over, I could see seven 
explosions, and out of the seven, one caused a new fire. 

** But what has become of my eighth bomb ? " I wondered. 

I pushed my arm into the bomb release and then looked outside, 
when — horror of horrors — there it was, suspended from a cable 
underneath our machine. 

** My God, Fernand, one of the bombs is hanging by a cable ! Have 
you got a cutter to clear it away ? " 

" No; but we 've got to get rid of it at all costs, for if it explodes, 
in three seconds we are gone ; I don't want to make a landing with that 
thing hanging there under the plane ; in fact, I would prefer to be 
blown to heaven in little bits from here." 

" Well, we shan't go that way," I said. 

I struggled with my knife in my efforts to cut the cable ; it was of 
steel, and I could not get through it ; but my hand was not of steel, 
and I cut a deep gash in it. What to do was the question. We could 
not be thinking of it much longer, and finally, I hauled in the bomb by 
the cable ; it weighed about fifteen kilos. I seized it, raised it above 
my head as far as possible, and threw it down with all my strength. 
The cable parted, and the shell was lost in space. 

** That 's over," said Fernand. 

"Yes," said I. 

C 62 ] 




NIGHT BOMBARDMENT AND EXPLOSION OF AN ENEMY AMMUNITION DUMP AT 

COUCY-LES-EPPES 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

"Never," he sighed, "never again, for hereafter I shall carry a 
cable-cutter." 

I looked over, and saw that between us and the ground the shell 
had exploded in a beautiful and innocent piece of fireworks. 

We had now turned about and were returning towards the border 
of France, following along the edge of the Argonne Forest. Around 
Verdun everything was still illuminated and under fire ; the bursting 
of bombs was continuous — big and little interspersed. I was sorry 
that the noise of the motor prevented me from hearing ; on the other 
hand, I thought that such a touch of materialism would spoil the seem- 
ingly unreal beauty of that terrible reality. 

Fernand passed me an object which he drew out of the pocket of 
his teddy bear. 

" What is that?" I inquired. 

"Taste it." 

I touched it to my lips ; it was a delicious brand of old Burgundy. 
Ho ! — delightful ! — just the thing ! It was getting very chilly, and 
I had suddenly a mad desire to smoke a cigarette. That mouthful of 
alcohol reminded me of worldly things. We had now recrossed the 
lines, and the pilot relighted his navigation lights. 

"Not yet, Fernand," said I; "let's remain up here alone in the 
heavens." 

The moon was now ahead of us, sailing rapidly westward, escorted 
by a crowd of little plump clouds, silvered over with its shining light. 
The Argonne Forest stretched along beneath with its deep ravines, in 
which a light fog could be noticed. Bivouac fires were visible through 
the heavy atmosphere, and a white smoke like a silver thread sus- 
pended from above rose towards us. 

Fernand pointed with uplifted arm and I followed his direction. One 
of our planes, coming between us and the moon and advancing to- 
wards us, passed less than twenty meters overhead ; we were invisi- 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

ble to him, and I trembled at the thought of the narrow margin of 
escape from a collision, and cursed the pilot who failed to follow the 
rules of the road, by returning on the going-out route. 

The fires of our camp were now getting very near. The light fog 
rose up from it, forming, a thousand meters below us, a soft bed of 
transparent gauze. Little by little it became more dense — now it 
had the appearance of a calm sea ; nevertheless, all our planes were 
able to get back and land in time, before the fog got so thick as to hide 
the ground. 

Our reports made, every one came in exhausted. I fell on my bed 
completely worn out ; my brain was filled with everything that I had 
experienced ; my eyes tired, my body bruised. It was four o'clock in 
the morning, and I heard the lark rising with the sun and taking his 
morning flight in the first breaking of the dawn. I fell asleep lulled 
by its sweet, melodious song, happily unconscious of all I had seen 
and felt. 



VIII 
PARTRIDGE 

THE next day, I had the great pleasure of again meeting Par- 
tridge, whom I had not seen for two months. He was a lad 
about twenty years of age at the beginning of the war. I met him at 
St. Pol; he was a mechanic in the First Escadrille, V.B. loi, in com- 
pany with Mouchard. 

At Camp Melette he was at the front, and having had considerable 
experience under fire, he soon became one of the most accomplished 
pilots. Beardless, impetuous, with a bland expression of countenance, 
there was nothing about him that indicated the man of war. Calm 
and quiet, he placidly came and went over the enemy's lines, careless 
of danger and happy in doing his duty ; I never left him. Now he is a 
lieutenant and in command of the celebrated escadrille organized by 
his ovm idolized superior, Mouchard ; there was no one living more 
entitled to that honor. 

Installed near us at Lemne was the first part of the escadrille, the 
grounds not being large enough to hold us all. He came in a plane on 
Sunday morning with his observer, Lieutenant de Langlade, to make 
us a visit. 

" Hello, you here. Partridge ! Good-morning, Langlade." 

« Good-morning, sir." 

" You will take luncheon with us, of course." 

"With pleasure, sir." 

"Oi course, Farre, there are partridges on the menu, are there 
not?" the Captain asked mischievously. 

" I think so. Captain. At all events, there are some good wild pi- 
geons and a wild duck." 

i:65 : 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

** Gracious, it '11 be a regular wedding breakfast ! " 

We all started off to the little church of Autrecourt, to attend high 
mass, and found the church crammed with army men. After our return 
we talked over times past and present, happy to see each other again. 

" How many bombardments have you made since the beginning 
of the war, Partridge ? " 

" I think I have just about made my 1 8 oth — those that you know, 
like Ludwigshafen, Karlsruhe, Treves, Dieuze, Pechelbrunn, Saar- 
bruck, Dillingen, and so on." 

" And how many hours have you spent flying over the enemy 
country?" 

" More than eight hundred." 

" What ! Not wounded yet ? " 

«* No wounds, and don't you think it singular ! " he said ; and, laugh- 
ing, he added, *' I must touch wood, for as late as yesterday, de Lan- 
glade and I just missed paying dearly for all we had escaped." 

" What do you mean ? " 

*' We were almost smothered by a shell during our night flight." 

** How do you mean by a shell ? " 

" Why — by one of our own shells." 

" But I don't understand." 

" It 's all very simple. We were behind Verdun, and de Langlade 
insisted upon dropping a bomb upon some Boche searchlights which 
had given us trouble every time we came over that sector. He held 
on to his last bomb and was holding it in his arms. How I fainted, I 
can't understand, but when I came to, we were about five hundred 
yards above the ground ; the unguided plane had descended slowly 
like a dead leaf. 

" Weak as I was, I had just strength enough to get my balance 
and turn and glance around; I saw de Langlade fallen over in his 
seat, and still holding his shell, which emitted a very pestilential odor. 

166 2 




K. ^ 



-M /|,;.i I'ln 



LIEUTENANT PARTRIDGE 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

The liquid it contained had run all over him, burning his clothes. I 
shook him and struck him a blow in the face, bringing him to at last. 

" * Where are we ? ' he asked. 

" ' Well, my son, I can't tell you,' I answered. 

" * What is this I have hold of here ? ' 

" * Why, it is your shell; it has just failed to send us both to glory. 
Throw it overboard.' , 

" * Not yet, please; just show me where the Boches are. If I can 
hold it, I don't intend to let this last one go for nothing.' I looked 
over the side and watched ; we were directly over the searchlights. 
* There they are; they are searching for us! ' I exclaimed. * Ah, the 
swine ! ' cried de Langlade ; * a little more and we were gone ! More 
to the right, if you please ; head her up to the wind. What height 
are we now ? ' he asked. * Eight hundred meters,' I replied. ' Oh, the 
fools ! They are trying to reach us at fifteen hundred meters. I think 
that I am all right now. There they are.' Then, after a moment 
of silence — * Right over him now, old chap; look out for him!' I 
leaned over and there was n't a sign of the searchlights, only pitch- 
dark night — everything had gone out. We certainly had a narrow 
escape." 

" Well, is that Httle illness which you had all gone ?" I asked. 

*' Quite gone — fresh air is a wonderful cure." 

" Your raid must have been pretty long — at least two hours." 

** Yes, all of that — and do you know what we did after we re- 
turned to the escadrille ? " 

" I think you probably treated yourself to some preserves and a 
bottle of Burgundy." 

" Yes — but after we had filled our tanks for another raid." 

" Partridge, coming from you that does n't astonish me in the least. 
You must take me above the clouds one of these days ; I want to see 
them and study them." 

C 67 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

*« Whenever you wish. Master." 

" Ah, my dear boy, not Master," 

" Yes, sir, why not ? " 

*' Because a man is never Master in my profession." 

Two months later, dear old Partridge in trying out a new plane 
fell to earth and broke both legs. Fortunately for him, the accident 
took place at Compiegne, where Dr. Carrell, an American, had his 
clinic at the time, and thanks to him both legs were restored, although 
somewhat shorter than before. 



IX 

OBSERVATION FLYING 

THE observation squadron, by which is meant the squadron of 
planes that reports the fall of shots, was located near us and 
commanded by Captain d'Aimery. Their work was very different 
from ours ; it began when we finished, and I admit very frankly that 
their task was less appreciated and was more dangerous. They are 
the most useful auxiliaries to the army ; they report the fall of shots 
and signal the necessary sight corrections to the guns. Their work 
is inconspicuous — never seen ; they fulfill their mission and fall he- 
roically without any mention in dispatches, victims of the enemy's 
guns and planes. 

One morning — his suspicion of my being a hoodoo gone — I spoke 
to Captain Laurens of my desire to assist in the work of some of these 
observation planes. 

" That 's all right, my dear man, we are not flying to-night, how- 
ever, — will to-morrow do ? " 

" Certainly, sir." 

" Ask d'Aimery, then, what time they begin to-morrow, and we 
can put in the spare time by running over the lines. I want to see the 
Verdun sector in daylight ; flying at night all the time is monotonous. 
Don't you find it so ? " 

" Ah, I am delighted to hear you say that. I never dared to ask for 
the chance to fly during the day." 

The next morning at seven o'clock, we flew towards the Vauquois 
sector, where the guns were in full swing. There were two spotting- 
planes of the Farman type, in which our best observers were at work 
at an altitude of about eighteen hundred meters. Keeping as nearly 

CSS] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

head to wind as possible, they described circles of about a kilometer's 
radius, noting the point of fall of the shots from our long-range guns. 
For about a quarter of an hour we made big circles around them, ob- 
serving them. 

The observer, by means of his wireless, advised the artillery and 
directed their fire up to the time that they hit the mark. When this 
was reported, the gunners made careful note of the angle of fire and 
the direction. Such work is always tedious and dangerous, because 
the enemy never sees with any pleasure an enemy plane taking notes 
over his head, for he knows perfectly well that these observations may 
be followed by terrible consequences for him. To do away with this, 
the enemy's special air-guns, which he uses constantly and often with 
great effect, try to bring down that human bird which stubbornly re- 
mains up there as long as our guns continue to fire. Sometimes when 
the shrapnel shells come very close, the observation planes rise three 
or four hundred meters to avoid being hit. 

Another danger to the observation plane is attack from fighting 
planes ; swift, handy, and heavily armed, like hawks they dart from 
the upper heights down upon their inoffensive prey. This compari- 
son is particularly apt in the case of the Farman plane, which is called 
a chicken coop because it resembles a chicken coop in shape. The Far- 
man is an excellent planer, too. Head to the wind, he can be held so 
that he does n't appear to move; swift, and as well-balanced as a but- 
terfly, he toys with the wind and can maintain his position with ease. 

He has no speed ; his defense is limited ; that is to say, he is with- 
out protection from the enemy who attacks him from behind, so that 
if the fighting planes do not protect him, he is lost from the start. No 
gallantry will save him — we are not living in the Middle Ages. The 
swifter enemy, taking advantage of his own speed, will take position 
in rear of his prey, where he is unprotected, and shoot the poor dove 
down. 

[ 70 ;] 




TWIN-MOTOR CAUDRON SIGNALING THE POSITION OF INFANTRY AND TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS, 

SOMME, I916 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

Unfortunately, in order to protect the efficiency of these precious 
birds, a great number of scouting planes are required, and we have 
not got them. I should add that this regulation requiring a plane to 
remain steady, scarcely pleases our flyers; they much prefer joy- 
riding around. This is the mission of the observation planes, which 
is often combined with aerial photography. 

** There you are, Farre ; have you observed long enough ? " 

" Yes, sir," I replied. And we left the two planes to continue their 
circles, nursed by the wind and with the noise of the motor accom- 
panied by shrapnel of every caliber. 

An immense cloud of smoke, covering the ground over a great 
extent, hid half a city; it was Verdun. I made out distinctly the 
cathedral, near which we lived. The fortress alongside of it was 
still unattacked, or appeared so, at least. " Poor old city, what you 
have suffered, and how much you will still suffer," I thought; "your 
martyrdom is not over yet." 

The Captain pointed with his hand. "Douaumont," he said, in- 
dicating it in the distance, ** and Dead Man's Hill, the Fort of Vaux, 
and Hill number 304 ; all are gone." 

The woods were razed, the. ground torn up, and the houses in 
ruins. The country appeared to be uninhabited ; it looked like a con- 
tinent of the moon ; nothing was visible ; nothing moved. The most 
frightful cataclysm could not have devastated the country more. Not- 
withstanding that, thousands of men were there like worms and mi- 
crobes in a dead body, working to consume themselves. 

The big guns were very active ; heavy shells threw up columns of 
earth and smoke in answer ; they seemed the only living things. In 
the rear of our lines — for here the trenches no longer existed, being 
replaced by shell-holes which touched each other in a continuous line 
— I noticed beautifully constructed trenches entirely new, made by 
our engineers. The sight of them was a great comfort to me : Verdun 

c 71 3 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

was not yet taken, because a new barrier to France was placed there, 
more insurmountable than all the others. 

I was interrupted in my reflections by the sight of a fighting plane 
hovering around our position. He afforded us the pleasing spectacle 
for five minutes of maneuvering in the air with side-slopes, dives, 
looping- the-loop, going and coming around us like a fly following 
a moving animal. 

" That is Navarre in his red Nieuport! " I called to the Captain. 

" Well, I '11 tell you what, old chap, if that was a Boche, we should 
have long since been finished." 

All at once he disappeared. The Captain, turning to the right and 
left, made every effort to find him again, but without result. He suc- 
ceeded in holding himself in such a position that we could not make 
him out, and played hide-and-seek with us ; it would have been easy, 
indeed, for him to approach and destroy us. We were in this situation 
for about five minutes, and had been moving towards the enemy's 
lines ; their guns paid no attention to us. Nevertheless, I felt we were 
in the danger zone. 

"Shall I get the machine gun ready, Captain?" 

" It would be a good idea. We are sure to fall in with a Boche plane 
sooner or later, as we are almost in their country." 

In fact, just then one appeared, and he was coming down directly 
upon us. 

"That's a big biplane — a Rumpler," said the Captain; "hit 
him." 

We steered straight for him, but he passed us about two hundred 
yards to the right. 

" Ta, ta, ta, ta," spoke the machine gun as we opened up on him. 
He responded as quickly, and then disappeared ; each of us immedi- 
ately made a half-turn with the intention of coming up with each 
other again. 

1:72] 




VICTORY OF NAVARRE, VERDUN, I916 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

But what should I suddenly see, high in the air above us like a 
meteor — Navarre, in his red plane, driving through the mist, a veri- 
table bird of prey, swooping down upon the poor Rumpler, almost 
touching it with his wings. A volley from his machine gun set fire 
to its gasoline tank, and it dived down through the space that sepa- 
rated us from the ground. 

One would, indeed, have a heart of stone if one were not moved 
by that tragic sight. Quick as lightning, the plane fell disabled, trail- 
ing behind it an enormous tail of smoke from the burning gasoline 
in the tank. Is it possible that the occupants remained unscathed? 
Imagine, if you can, the torture of those two human beings during 
the five minutes they spent before they crashed to earth. I pray God 
they had a swift death. The conqueror swept in a spiral of glory 
around that colossal torch as it descended from the heavens, an easy 
victory for him. 

" That is the fate reserved for those who fly in other than fighting 
planes." 

"Yes," said the Captain, "that's so. Now let's go and see Na- 
varre." 

We soon reached Vadelincourt repair station and came to earth; 
Navarre had arrived there only a moment before, and was stretched 
out under the wing of his plane. The terrible fighter apparently was 
not thinking of his recent victims. 

" Well, you certainly did come from heaven. Where were you at 
the time?" I said. 

" Well, this is how it was. I was sure that you were going to be 
attacked, and so I kept on flying two thousand yards above you. 
When I saw the Boche, I headed straight for him and let fly a full 
belt in my machine gun." 

" Then you made use of us as bait," said the Captain. 

" Absolutely," he said. 

C 73 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

** Do you think you killed the pilots ? " said I, the thought of their 
terrible death holding me. 

« Oh, yes, they must have been struck fifty times. They probably 
never suffered a thing. You may have seen that the plane had lost 
control when it fell." 

"So much the better," I said. 

Upon our return, we fell in with a bi-motor Caudron whose ob- 
server had been photographing enemy positions. 



X 

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY 

AVIATORS having charge of this kind of work — which con- 
. sists in photographing the ground occupied by the enemy — 
have very much the same sort of duty as that of the observation planes. 
Their duty is usually performed in the bi-motor Caudron. Often these 
men accomplish the two missions of observing and photographing 
at the same time. 

Such a double service was not anticipated by the General Staff 
before the war began, but neither was trench warfare ; it is evident 
that trench warfare made all that necessary, according to the old 
French proverb, "The need creates the means," and all these dif- 
ferent kinds of service were organized on the front under the fire of 
the enemy. 

I cannot say who originated it ; several captured planes were found 
to carry photographic apparatus, and were particularly adapted to 
this special kind of work. In our own army, this particular service 
was highly perfected and very well organized. Every army corps 
had its own squadron, used especially for photographing enemy posi- 
tions, and therefore each army corps doing this work made it possible 
to have snapshots of the whole front from Dunkerque to Belfort. 
These photographs were almost always taken vertically and at about 
the same altitude, and afterwards joined together, thus forming a 
complete map in which every detail stands out clearly. Shell-holes 
can be seen with the naked eye. 

The reader will, no doubt, understand the reason of the new branch 
of service called camouflage, which, by the use of false trees, or tents 
painted the same color as the ground, renders things almost invisible; 

I 75 U 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

in fact, this is the only means known for hiding from the eye of the 
aviator, or from the exposures made by the lenses of his camera, im- 
portant works and emplacements of guns; unfortunately, it is not 
possible to camouflage everything. 

Imagine, if you can, the enormous amount of this kind of work 
which is accomplished ; and that is not all, it is necessary to keep it 
up to date, and that is what gives real interest to it. For example, 
the Staffreceives from the aviators a series of photographs of a cer- 
tain sector ; a few days later it suspects that the enemy has made 
important changes, and at once orders new series of pictures ; if only 
one single tree is added, it is immediately detected, and our own dis- 
positions are regulated accordingly. 

Just before an attack such operations are carried out along the en- 
tire front and are made as complete as possible. Before commencing 
a bombardment of the enemy's defenses, the batteries have in their 
hands charts as carefully made as possible from photographs of these 
defenses, and they make use of them in the bombardment. During 
such an attack the observation planes see if the fire is effective and 
well directed, and when it is finished the plane skims along at a low 
height over the trenches to see if all the enemy defenses are de- 
stroyed, such as barbed wire, telegraph lines, machine-gun nests, etc., 
and if a man shows himself the flyer takes advantage of it. At such 
times the soldiers are most certainly to be found in their dugouts, 
where they are often engulfed and buried alive ; in that way many 
have been killed. 

This work is of the most dangerous kind for the planes engaged 
in it. They are obliged to fly at a very low height — not more 
than three hundred meters — right through the danger zone ; and 
when it rains, or clouds are hanging very low, they come dovm 
to not more than one hundred meters above the ground, and at this 
low altitude they very often become the victims of bursting shrap- 

[ 76 ] 





'■v^ *%» 



t-^v 




^J^- 
^^^m 




if^a^ 



FARMAN BIPLANE OBSERVING THE DESTRUCTION BY THE FIRE OF THE ALLIED ARTILLERY OF 
THE ENEMY TRENCHES AND OTHER DEFENSES AT THE MORT HOMME, VERDUN, I916 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

nel. All honor to those unknown heroes who do this important duty 
so bravely, without thought of special glory or honor ! 

Here is a tragic history of a Boche plane which was engaged in 
observing and spotting work ; it was in Champagne that this thrill- 
ing drama took place, and it demonstrates the French bravery and 
spirit carried to the extreme, where all consciousness of danger is lost 
in the performance of straight duty. 

Every night at the same hour, an enemy aviator came to take 
photographs and to make observations over our lines in Champagne. 
He appeared to be invulnerable, and apparently without any regard 
for danger he came regularly and accomplished his mission. Our 
artillery was powerless to bring him down from his celestial 
height, and our pursuit planes always arrived too late. Two of our 
planes had been brought down by him, and it was to avenge our 
two comrades and to pay the enemy for his audacity that we now 
prepared. 

The pilots of a scouting escadrille of the Nieuport type were 
camped near us, and were wild with rage at their inability to catch 
him. Three of them, however, swore to do so, and among them was 
the Quartermaster de Terline, who solemnly swore to get him. " If 
my shot won't do it," he said, " I will run him down and fall with 
him." 

Half an hour before the usual time of his arrival, there was de Ter- 
line cruising at two thousand meters, which was about the height at 
which the Boche habitually flew. De Terline noticed that he was 
the one farthest off from the Boche; and he saw his two comrades 
attacked and one after another withdraw from the fight, and nose- 
dive down to their landing-field, compelled to do so by their machine 
guns getting jammed. 

But de Terline did not know this, and supposed his two comrades 
were killed, and so it was with a rage amounting almost to fury that 

[ 77 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

he increased his speed to get above the Boche. When in a proper 
position he dropped, and rammed his terrible enemy. The collision 
brought them together inextricably, so that, spinning around in the 
air, we saw them fall tragically to the ground from about one thou- 
sand meters, and crash to earth in a mass of formless debris. 

In this way French aviators carry out their promises ; and never 
again did an enemy come every day at the same time to accomplish 
his mission over the lines of Champagne. 

During all these observations my leisure time was given up to 
painting. I would have liked very much to work on one subject for 
a long time, but, unfortunately, that was impossible. I had to follow 
the events and could not give my canvases all the time and work 
which their importance deserved. I tried my best to preserve a truly 
historical picture in an artistic way, and certain paintings show a deep 
study of the subject. I do not say that they are any the better for 
that, though several have obliged me to return a number of times 
and fly over the ground again, in order to correct inaccuracies^ Vau- 
quoi was one of these. I determined to portray in that one the exact 
topography of the ground, destroyed villages, shell-holes, and the 
trenches. As soon as they were finished, I sent them to the Army 
Museum, where they were exhibited among those by comrades in 
the Salon d'Honneur. 

I received a friendly letter from Lieutenant de Vaisseau de La- 
borde, who belonged to the first bombardment group commanding 
the center of the maritime aviation at Dunkerque, in which he said 
there was something besides land aviation in this war, and he in- 
vited me to pass a few days with him, telling me I would get into 
a real war atmosphere; that the history of aviation in connec- 
tion with Dunkerque was already rich in exploits, and if I would 
like to go with them and bombard Zeebrugge, I had only to say 
the word. 

[ T8 2 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" Well, this is going to alter my arrangements somewhat," I said, 
** but put in my request to go." 

The quartermaster understood the situation, and a fortnight later 
I presented myself before the admiral commanding at Dunkerque, 
who gave me a cordial welcome. 



XI 

AT DUNKERQUE, MARCH, 1916 

DE LABORDE introduced me to all his officers (all naval offi- 
cers, of course), and I was quartered in a fine, large, and well- 
lighted room. 

** Will you be all right here, and can you work ? " asked de Laborde. 

"Perfectly," I answered. 

The population of Dunkerque was about equal to that of Nancy ; 
the people were sympathetic and kind. Several buildings — notably 
the cathedral, of which the roof had been blown off — carried marks 
of the numerous 480 mm. shells fired from the long-distance guns 
of the Germans. 

Alongside of our center of maritime aviation there was installed a 
British aviation group, a squadron of scouting Sopvitch hydroplanes, 
and bombarding hydroplanes of the Shor type. Their operations were 
made separately, but with the same end in view, that of fighting the 
enemy hydroplanes and their submarines, for which both Ostend and 
Zeebrugge were repair bases. 

At Dunkerque there was a little bay which formed the anchorage, 
but it was entirely too small for our hydroplanes to take the air. They 
were obliged to thread their way out and in like sea-gulls, and pass 
between the masts of the boats, so that often a wing touched, and then 
— up ! a rapid half-turn and bang ! — down into the water, from which 
they were very often fished out in a sad condition. One would not be- 
lieve it, but a fall into the sea is really more sudden and hard than a 
fall to the earth. 

Lieutenant de Laborde was a fine leader ; he understood aviation 
from the bottom up, had been a pilot before the war, and had broken 

[8° 3 



'^ -.' 





EXPLOIT OF CAPTAIN BONE, THE ENGLISH AVIATOR, OVER THE NORTH SEA, I915 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

a leg at it. It was on account of his known worth in this branch that the 
Minister of Marine selected him to organize this center of maritime 
aviation. I was astonished at the completeness of the installation ; in 
the center was a very fine pigeon cote, where a special detail had been 
made to take entire charge of the three hundred birds which made this 
their home. 

The pigeon mail was a distinctly valuable auxiliary, truly useful, 
even indispensable. Whenever a plane went out on an expedition, four 
birds were taken along in a little cage, and in case of the engine stop- 
ping, or of damage, or of a forced descent to the water after a flight, 
the pigeons were freed, and carried back to the home base the S.O.S. 
calls of the aviators. 

Before beginning to paint the exploits of the pilots, I wished to see 
this new machine with which I was not familiar, and de Laborde opened 
for me the four big hangars which sheltered fifteen planes. 

" Are n't they beautiful ? " he asked. 

" Yes, they certainly are," I answered; "but what do those three 
letters, F. B. A., indicate ? " 

" France, Beige, Anglo," he replied, laughing. 

" I don't believe you — really ? " 

« No — they are really the initials of the firm that makes them." 

They were certainly beautiful in shape, with splendid lines, and 
when I saw them fly for the first time, they seemed like gigantic fish 
leaving the ocean for the realms of the sky. 

I immediately got to work; I drew and painted them from every 
aspect, and in every position on the ground, in the air, and on the water, 
and after making about a dozen studies I was reasonably familiar with 
their appearance ; then I decided to begin something big, but first 
I thought it was necessary to make a flight in one of them. 

The Commandant was very much pleased with these studies, and 
I asked him when he would fly. 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" Ah, my dear sir, I am distressed beyond words ; I go on no more 
expeditions. I just got a letter from the Admiralty prohibiting the 
commanding officer from taking part in any flights, but I can give you 
la Burthe — he is an excellent pilot." 

"Oh, it doesn't make any difference. Commandant," I said. 

« I believe to-morrow they will undertake a flight to Zeebrugge. 
Would you like to go?" 

" I certainly would, sir." 



XII 
BOMBARDING OF ZEEBRUGGE 

TIME, nine o'clock in the morning ; weather, a little thick, trying 
to clear ; sun shining through the light covering of clouds ; the 
air fresh ; truly it had every prospect of being a fine day. 

The orders were that no expedition should start with fewer than 
four planes. It was necessary to be able to meet the attacks of the 
Boche squadrons, which went out always in great numbers. 

" My, is n't our little birdie beautiful," said la Burthe; "and what 
a bully engine ; it must be at least one hundred horse-power." 
It hummed wonderfully ; it was an Ispano Suiza. 
" Look here, la Burthe, I don't want to bombard. I would prefer 
to remain in the rear as a spectator, in order to see better, if we can 
do that." 

<* Oh, all right, then, we will leave our bombs behind." 
" My word, no ; perhaps we shall run across a submarine ; it is a 
rare species, but the chance is so fine ! " 
Every one else had gone on. 
" Come on," said la Burthe. 
I'm all ready." 
And your life preserver ? " 
« I 've got it." 
Good ! " The motor was started up at full speed. 
But the pigeons — my God ! quick, bring them," said la Burthe 
to the mechanic. 

I grabbed up these precious birds jumbled close together in the cage. 

The hydroplane was drawn to its starting-place and then turned 

around and started. We opened the throttle, and the water flew up 

CSS 3 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

on each side in a silver fringe. As the speed increased, the engine 
tried to clear the water ; finally it lifted entirely and moved forward, 
striking the crests of the waves only in little short blows. Very soon 
this stopped and the machine left the water entirely, and rose majes- 
tically into the air, with its pilot steering skillfully between the ships' 
masts until we finally emerged from amongst them. Dunkerque was 
spread under us ; we were at sea — the three other planes were al- 
ready far away. 

Zeebrugge was about forty kilometers distant as the crow flies, and 
with a fair wind a half-hour was enough to allow for this flight ; and 
always the same question of a pilot to a new passenger. 

" How goes it } All right ? " he asked me. 

" Splendid," said I. 

We were already near the end of the route ; the three others made 
a detour to allow us to catch up to them. 

" We will steer offshore to avoid the coast batteries," said the pilot 
to me, " and go straight on to Zeebrugge. We are now about fifteen 
miles from the mole. Ah, the famous mole ! I can see it well, pro- 
tecting the port formed by the canal." 

" There are the Boche submarines," cried la Burthe, ** and the 
hydroplanes are on the mole. Can you make out their hangars there, 
with the roofs shining ? We are discovered ; the heavy coast guns are 
amusing themselves by firing at us. See those big bursts ; they are at 
least 2io's ; a shell that size must cost something ! " 

" But they don't fire with them only ? " 

"Oh, no, you will see the 77's when you are closer. We are 
going to remain in the rear." 

" Yes, if you don't mind. Can you hold her about five hundred 
yards from the others ? " 

« That is more dangerous, for we may be struck by some wild 
shots," said la Burthe, laughing. 

C 84 3 




^^^^i 



^^^mm^mmmmmmmt^^m^ 







^^ 



% 



BOMBARDMENT OF THE MOLE AND PORT OF ZEEBRUGGE, I916 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

There was little shipping in the harbor, only a few destroyers within 
the break- water. 

" No submarines ? " I asked. 

"Oh, don't worry," said la Burthe ; "they don'twait until we are on 
top of them before they plunge. Ah, there are the Boche hydroplanes 
getting under way. Bernie, old chap, you will get there too late." 

Our three planes had arrived and their six bombs fell just in front 
of the canal, throwing up to heaven great fountains of water. I care- 
fully noted the general effect. The land and sky were joined and on 
the water side the sea presented a strange spectacle ; the crests of the 
waves formed little shadows and the sea appeared like an immense 
white, newly plastered wall. The ships moved like flies on a blue- 
green carpet, and left behind them a trail of white foam and an oily 
wake. A half-turn, and we were again over the open sea. 

" Let's drop a couple of bombs on those boats, will you, la Burthe ? " 
said I, pointing in their direction. 

"Fine idea; we are high enough," he said; "our comrades are 
already far off, and the six Boches are following us along. Don't 
hesitate — just drop the bombs without going down." 

Another half-turn and we had turned the nose of the machine into 
the wind, and just at the proper instant I let go one after the other. 
The result was doubtful, although they struck inside of fifty yards 
from the boats. 

" Good ! splendid ! " said la Burthe ; " there '11 be surely some 
damage." 

Upon our return, we fell in with some English scouting planes on 
the way to take a shot at the Boches. 

"That looks good," I thought ;" they are evidently after big 
game." 

We reached our starting-place without any loss of time, and with 
my memory fresh I painted what I had just witnessed. 

C 85 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

The meals in our little shack were not very lively. The Comman- 
dant, who sometimes posed as a wag, was naturally a little taciturn. 
A suggestion, a remark, or an order could be heard from time to time 
interrupting the monotonous noise of the knives and forks on the 
plates, as no officer dared to disturb the meditations of the chief unless 
on official business. 

"By Jove," said I, " I don't come from round here, and I am not 
accustomed to these protracted silences, which sometimes last through- 
out a meal. I can't make out the Commandant either. When I for- 
merly knew him he was an entirely different man, overflowing with 
good nature." 

It happened that de la Morlaix sat next to him ; they got into con- 
versation through the efforts of the latter. 

However, I put these conditions down to the role he played as chief, 
and to the shyness of his subordinates. I determined to broach the 
subject to him, and one day said to him suddenly, " Commandant, 
excuse me for breaking the silence. When conversation lags, will 
you permit me to start it up again ? " 

This sudden sortie made him laugh, for he perfectly understood 
my meaning. Retaining his sunny smile, he said to me, " I ask 
nothing better. It is the company, in spite of myself, that keeps 
me in a reflective mood." Everybody protested, but the ice was 
broken. 

"Commandant," I said, "I will presently show you yesterday's 
bombardment of Zeebrugge, and I would like very much to have 
your opinion of it and the opinion of these gentlemen." 

" What ! " he exclaimed ; " is it done already ? " 

" Yes, sir, and I hope you have some other subjects for me ; I must 
divide my time between so many of them." 

" Oh, yes, there are plenty, both tragic and comic subjects — like 
that of Routier, for example." 

[ 86 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

*' That," said la Burthe, " is perfect ! His arrival without a stitch 
of clothes on was simply fierce ! " 

" May I ask if it is possible for me to have the log-book ? " I said. 

" Most certainly," said the Commandant, "but you will not find 
any touch of humor in the log." 

"I'm sorry, but in that case. Commandant, won't you kindly tell 
us about it?" 

** It is jiot absolutely a war story, but it is comic and tragic at the 
same time ; as tragic as any that you will find in the log-book, and as 
truly interesting. 

" In returning from the bombardment of Ostend, the stalling of the 
engine obliged him to come down, and there he was in mid-ocean. 
He examined his engine in company with his observer, to find out 
what the trouble was, and was tossed about roughly by the waves, 
when he suddenly saw, about six yards from him, a round, compact, 
dust-colored mass, the size of a barrel. * What 's that ? ' he said to his 
observer. ' That 's a Boche floating mine, my dear sir, nothing more 
nor less,' answered the observer. < My God ! We are gone — the 
wind is blowing us dov^n on it — a collision, and good-bye to the 
chickens of Dunkerque ! ' * Ah, not yet ! ' said Routier, * I would 
sooner lose my good name.' 

" He undressed as quickly as he could — and you can imagine how 
quickly — and jumped overboard ; it was certainly time. As gently 
as you would lead a lady in a dance, he towed away the frightful ma- 
chine with one hand, and with the other he pushed off the plane. * Ouf ! ' 
he said, when he saw the small space between the mine and the plane 
growing larger through his efforts. 

"It was very warm, and after regaining his hydroplane, just as if 
nothing had happened, he flew back to base, and forgot all about 
dressing himself. It was Sunday afternoon. The wife of the admiral, 
accompanied by two young ladies, had come to make a visit, they 

C 87 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

wanted to see the hydroplanes, and the arrival of the expedition if 
they were in time to do so. I knew that Routier had not returned, and 
I became considerably uneasy on his account, for he was due about 
half an hour before. 

" We went down on the quay, and lining up on the edge of it we 
waited for the hydroplane, which was seen approaching. Routier 
came down, sprang out, and advanced towards us, but when he got 
within fifty yards, he stopped and appeared turned to stone. I called 
him and told him to come on closer. He answered only by motions, 
which I could not understand. Tired of this sort of conversation, I 
jumped into a little boat and found him as nature made him. I was 
bursting with laughter, and he told me his tale in a few words. 

" I took the ladies off to my office and gave him time to get out and 
dress himself, but he would not be presented." 

"But the ladies," said I. 

"They laughed like mad," he said. " He was a wonderful type, 
and one of the best marksmen I have ever known. It is a pity that 
you did not arrive fifteen days sooner ; he would have told you the tale 
himself." 

" Has he gone .? " I asked. 

" Yes ; I sent him as an instructor to the base at St. Raphael, near 
Nice." 

" But you tell the story well. Commandant, I must say." 

" I believe that it was after the bombardment of Zeebrugge ; here 
is a log of it. It was another one of those rotten stallings which made 
the trouble. The weather was bad and the sea rough. I discovered 
Routier on the water, not far from shore — about five miles, perhaps 
— tossed about on the waves, quietly repairing his motor. Suddenly 
the noise of a motor aroused him from his work, and a Boche land- 
plane was seen approaching at about fifty yards up. 

" The observer jumped to his gun and cast it loose. * Damn — it 

[ 88 ] 




EXPLOIT OF PILOT ROUTIER, MARITIME AVIATION OF DUNKERQUE 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

is out of order ! ' he cried. ' Oh, hell ! ' said Routier, 'jump out of that 
and pass me my revolver.' The enemy jeered at him and hoisted his 
tri-color, then passed beyond, discharging his machine gun as he 
went. 

*' Routier fired only once. The plane returned and bore down upon 
the unfortunate disabled one. This attack was renewed four times, 
but the fourth time it was fatal, at least to the enemy observer. With 
half his body out of the machine he got a bullet in the head and fell 
backward. His firing ceased, of course, and the Boche pilot took 
flight, carrying off with him the corpse of his comrade." 

" That 's a fine subject for a picture," I said ; " I am going to begin 
it this afternoon." 

" As you wish. The plane is in the hangar now. Would you like 
me to put it overboard ? " 

" What kind of weather was it .? " 

«« Precisely like to-day." 

** In that case. Commandant, I certainly would." 



XIII 

SEA-AVIATORS 

THE dangers of sea-aviators are not exactly like those of the 
land, but at least they are more plentiful. When a land-plane 
is obliged to come down, it lands upon solid ground. I mean that 
when it is safely landed, all danger is over for it. It is easy then to 
get something to eat and to return to one's squadron by railroad, 
automobile, or any other convenient method, leaving the plane be- 
hind. 

But it is another story with hydroplanes ; the danger is increased 
to almost a fatal extent. A hydroplane lost in the mist or coming down 
in the open sea, whether from stalling or from lack of gas, has a chance 
if the sea is smooth and the base can be notified by carrier pigeons to 
send a destroyer, which perhaps will arrive in time to rescue the avia- 
tor before he is swamped and the plane is knocked to pieces in the sea. 

A man could remain probably forty-eight hours on the surface of 
a calm sea, but if there is the slightest leak, his life is very short ; his 
machine soon fills with water and sinks before aid arrives. 

Another danger which is especially feared is to be rescued by en- 
emy ships and made prisoner, or worse by a submarine, which seizes 
one and makes one follow the enemy mission and cruise with him, 
confined in the hold, across and through the mine-infested and pa- 
trolled waters. 

The accompanying picture represents a case of this kind, where 
two hydroplanes were sunk and the aviators rescued by a destroyer 
which arrived just in time. These two hydroplanes were searching 
for mines which it was thought were planted by the enemy along 
our coasts and in front of our ports. Such mines sometimes break 

[90 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

away and become very dangerous to navigation. At low water they 
often float awash and show a bulk about one meter in diameter. They 
are quite visible to aviators when flying very low. 

In the course of one of these expeditions, one of the planes was 
obliged to come down and his companion continued his work; but 
seeing his comrade remain still on the water, he decided to go to his 
aid, and flew down, alighting alongside of him. 

Suddenly the weather changed, a strong wind sprang up and the 
sea came up with it, until finally the observer was obliged to throw 
himself into the water and climb aboard the hydroplane in distress. 

" What's the matter with it ? " 

"I'm sure I can't tell ; it simply won't start." 

" Good Lord ! look at the water — is your engine going all right ? " 

" Yes, let 's hurry up, old man ; throw me your line and tow me ; 
are we some distance offshore ? " 

" About twenty-five kilometers at least." 

" What do you say — had we better loose some pigeons first ? " 

" I think so ; that is more prudent ; that is, unless we decide to 
remain here forever." 

The four little birds took their messages, circled up in the air for 
about two minutes, and then struck out straight for land in search of 
help. By this time the sea had risen decidedly and the two planes 
were occasionally knocking into each other violently, and at times 
touched the water with their wings ; the motor of one of them was 
still going. 

The observer in the first machine climbed aboard his machine and 
endeavored to get near enough to heave the tow-line, so as to tow 
the other ashore as one would tow a broken-down motor. It was an 
almost impossible procedure on account of the rough sea, for there 
was great danger of a collision between the planes, which would cer- 
tainly result in the loss of one if not both of them. The observer left 

L 91 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

his place and climbed out cautiously on the end of his machine in the 
effort to make fast the line, but the waves always tossed them apart 
at just the moment when he was about to be successful ; they tried 
two, three, four times — impossible. 

They began to despair, as the water commenced to fill the ma- 
chine. The first plane was already awash and nearly swamped, so 
that it appeared to be only a question of time when it would sink 
for good. The other plane was unable to take the air, for the waves 
tossed it in such a manner as to risk its being crushed to bits against a 
neighboring wave, if it tried to rise ; but even if they had been able 
to, they would never have been reconciled to letting their comrades 
perish alone. 

Finally it began to rain, with no sign of abatement in the weather. 
The sky was black and the clouds came down almost into the water. 
It was impossible to see more than two hundred yards, and, in short, 
they were in for very bad weather. Some destroyer would surely 
come to their help, but would it discover them ? The message car- 
ried by the pigeons gave exactly their latitude, but would they allow 
for drift, wondered the poor unfortunates ? They managed to keep 
up and to float about twenty yards apart. 

" Well, my friends, this is the finish," said the pilot of the first 
plane ; " our machine is full of water and we are slowly going 
down." 

" All right, come on over to us, then, and we will sink together. 
Let us risk everything to gain everything. My engine is still going, 
and I will try to get nearer. Climb out on the end of your wing and 
seize mine if you can." 

Assisted by his machine and also by the condition of the sea, 
which moderated for a moment, the two machines came together 
and remained in touch like two squirrels, so that the two men passed 
from the one into the other. 

I 92 ] 






HYDROPLANE AIDING ANOTHER IN DISTRESS, MARITIME AVIATION OF DUNKERQUE, I916 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" Yes, but we are not safe yet," said one of them ; "look at our 
machine — our poor old bus. It is gone for good." 

As a matter of fact it was really at its last gasp, and it slowly sank 
into the depths of the sea. Here were four men all together in this 
frail shell of a hydroplane, in the midst of a gale of wind in mid-ocean. 
Just put yourself for a moment in their place, and remember that 
these men know what dangers they have to go through every time 
they start on one of these expeditions, that they are always and en- 
tirely at the mercy of a simple accident to the machine, and that 
succor cannot be counted upon. 

Night soon began to fall, but the sea did not abate, and besides, as 
there was no more gasoline, the hydroplane became merely a dead 
weight on the water and was tossed about at the mercy of the waves. 
As a last hope they loosed three more pigeons, carrying a report of 
their position and drift. 

"All right, boys," said one of the men. "Those who are hungry 
ought to go to sleep; I will keep watch. We must keep up our 
spirits." He was right; and in about a half-hour the silhouette of a 
destroyer came out of the darkness and gloom. 

" Fire the machine gun," said one. 

That was a sufficient signal. They were soon discovered, hauled 
aboard, and saved ! It was time, for the second plane had taken in so 
much water that, before they got clear of it, it disappeared in its 
turn; it was impossible to save it. 



XIV 

TORPEDOING A SUBMARINE 

HYDROPLANES also have the task of destroying by bombing 
any hostile force they may encounter — ships, submarines, 
railroad stations, factories, anything and everything that the enemy 
possesses on the coast, in his ports, or at sea. 

There are a number of appliances for bomb releasing, but the best 
aid in the air, as it is on shore, is the skill w^hich comes from experi- 
ence. The accompanying picture show^s an attack upon a submarine 
and its destruction. Hydroplanes usually carry two heavy bombs, 
suspended one on each side of the fuselage, within easy reach of the 
observer ; in addition some planes are armed with a navy 37 mm. ma- 
chine gun. 

When the sea is comparatively smooth, a submerged submarine is 
quite visible to the naked eye, and appears as a dark body in the midst 
of a more transparent space. 

During a search for mines a hydroplane surprised a Boche subma- 
rine in the North Sea, its periscope showing. Descending to a height 
of fifty meters, the aviator let go his two bombs, one after the other ; 
the first struck about two yards forward of the periscope, and the 
second a few meters farther aft. A terrific explosion resulted, which 
threw a column of water and smoke to a height of fifty yards, and 
would have swamped the plane if it had remained stationary. 

In order to get the result of this attack, the flyers circled along the 
foaming water, waiting for the commotion produced by the explosion 
to calm down, and then they saw debris of all kinds rise to the sur- 
face. A metallic, oily patch spread out over the sea, forming a large, 
greasy stain. 

C 94 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

*« One less," said the flyers ; " if it could only be like this every day, 
submarine warfare would soon be a thing of the past. Alas, it is rare 
game, not always within reach of the bombs of hydroplanes." 

At St. Pol, near Dunkerque, there was located the camp of a night 
bombarding squadron, and from secret reports we learned one bright 
day that some Zeppelins were moored at the entrance to the canal at 
Zeebrugge. It was a good night's work when a squadron of planes 
( Voisin ) joined in a raid, and let fall on one objective — which was so 
well illuminated — more than one hundred bombs. We learned the 
result by snapshot photographs taken the first thing on the following 
day by our hydroplanes. These showed the two Zeppelins, which had 
been ready to start on a raid against the English coast, entirely de- 
stroyed, and this without any loss on our side except the one hundred 
bombs. 

The service of photography took on from day to day a greater im- 
portance, especially to maritime aviation ; and Commandant de La- 
borde wished to develop it still further by placing in charge of it a 
very active and able sergeant. Petty Officer Malville. During my 
stay there I made his acquaintance, but had to leave without seeing 
him again. He had received orders to photograph Zeebrugge and its 
coast defenses. The expeditionary force was made up as usual of four 
planes, which were to protect him in case of trouble during his work. 
Lieutenant de Vaisseau de Salins was his pilot. All went well until 
the arrival at Zeebrugge. 

An hour later three of the escort planes returned"; the fourth — that 
is to say, Malville and his pilot — was missing. A quarter of an 
hour's grace is always allowed to late ones, because it sometimes hap- 
pens that after their mission is accomplished, they take a little sail 
above the clouds, where everything is so divinely beautiful, particu- 
larly towards evening. 

Half an hour passed and still no news. The chief of the pigeon 

C 95 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

service was notified, and he arranged an apparatus on his landing- 
platform for the pigeons, in such a way that, when the bird alighted, 
an electric circuit was made which rang a bell, when an attendant 
opened the door, and took the message and the messenger. 

We did not wait very long ; the bell soon rang, and the following 
message was received by the Commandant : — 

" After our mission was accomplished we were attacked by three 
enemy hydroplanes — we fought as long as we could, and until our 
engine was struck, when we came down." 

Ten minutes later some more pigeons arrived with another mes- 
sage : — 

" We are floating in the water under guard of a Boche hydro- 
plane." 

Five minutes later another : — 

" The enemy destroyer has just arrived and we are prisoners, safe 
and sound. Look out for my wife and children, and notify the family 
of Lieutenant de Salins. Signed, Malville, de Salins." 

I saw Malville three months afterwards on a leave of absence of 
seven days at Paris. I was more than astonished upon opening my 
door to find myself face to face with him, and thought I saw a ghost. 

** Well, how did you ever get here ? " I asked. 

" By escaping — simple enough," he replied. 

" That 's all right, but how ? " 

" Simplest way in the world — in the clothes of a Boche soldier and 
with a leave pass. The only difficulty was at the frontier ; there I had 
real trouble." Then he told me a tale which I regret very much that 
I cannot now repeat. 

" What do you propose to do ? " I asked him. 

C96] 




BOMBARDMENT OF AN ENEMY SUBMARINE BY AN F.B.A. HYDROPLANE, NORTH SEA, I916 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" Return to Dunkerque ; of course, as soon as my report to the 
Minister of Foreign Affairs is made." 
"AnddeSalins?" 

** Ah, I don't know ; we were n't in the same camp." 
"Oh, well, old man, let 's have dinner together, will you ?" 
" What did you think when you saw that we did n't come back ?" 
« What do you suppose we thought ! We imagined everything up 
to the time of the arrival of the three messages. A destroyer was all 
ready to leave for your rescue, but naturally did n't shove off." 

" What did the Commandant have to say to the three others who 
served as escort ? " 

" He was white with rage ; he did n't dare to open his mouth for a 
week. He certainly had something to be angry about, for if you had 
never come back, it would have been their fault." 

" Oh, yes, one against three is too much. We fought one to three 
for a quarter of an hour at least. One of the three Boches was wounded, 
but our radiator was struck and we had to come down," 
" And your Boche comrades — did they treat you well ? " 
"Very well; they questioned us separately, and when they found 
we had nothing to say, they did not insist, and we passed the night 
in their mess. After dinner we drank champagne, real champagne at 
that. I think they do that sort of thing in the hope that we will treat 
them the same way when we take them prisoners." 

I had spent about a month with these robbers of the sea, so that on 
my departure my professional baggage was of some size. I had pro- 
duced twenty studies and had collected much manuscript, all of which 
delighted de Laborde. 

« Choose one for yourself," I said. 

« No ! — do you really mean it ? What will the museum say ? " 

" Oh, one more or less makes no difference," I said; and then he 

C91 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

took one of those representing his fighting plane flying over the 
sea. 

*' This will be my finest war souvenir," he said. 

He was not to keep it very long, for about eight days later the 
hangars burnt down, destroying all that they contained. 

I was pleased enough with them, but not quite with the finish. I 
have already given the reason for this, for like the Wandering Jew, I 
keep moving, following the changes in methods and putting them 
down day by day. " Later on, you can really make some works of 
art," I said to myself; ** that is, let 's hope you will have the ability 
to do so." 



XV 

AT CACHY 

I WAS about half through with my work, but I judged that the 
worst half still remained : aviation schools, fighting aviation, and 
the portraits of aviators who became distinguished during the war. 

After leaving Dunkerque, I stopped at Amiens, and took advan- 
tage of being there to telephone Captain Fequant, who commanded 
a group of scouting planes, in which was incorporated the already 
famous Lafayette Escadrille. 

" Hello." 

"Hello." 

" Captain Fequant ? " 

"Yes." 

" This is Farre, Captain. Can you come and get me ? I want to 
spend a few days with you." 

" Well, this is a pleasure; certainly. I am going to the Staff Head- 
quarters to-morrow at ten o'clock. You be there, and I will take you 
off to Cachy, where we are now." 

I was very glad, indeed, to see him again, and he recalled to me the 
old V.B. loi that he had commanded after Lieuteuant Mouchard, at 
the great bombardments of Nancy. 

" Whenever I see you, I always think of my poor brother and of 
the portrait you made of him on his death-bed." 

" You still have no desire to give it to the Army Museum, have 
you?" 

" Oh, never. I sent it to his wife with your compliments, and she 
wouldn't give it up for anything in the world." 

" I scarcely like to laud my own work. I did it on watch with de la 

C 99 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

Morlaix. I was fairly well pleased with it ; it was probably the emo- 
tion of the moment which inspired me." 

"It is a truly remarkable inspiration and is a striking resem- 
blance ; for us, of course, it is priceless. It is a holy relic for my poor 
sister." 

His eyes were dimmed with tears at the thought. I took him by 
the arm and changed the conversation, and carried him off to his 
automobile. 

" Is Cachy far from here?" I asked. 

" No, about twenty minutes." 

*' Tell me. Captain, have you really the Lafayette Escadrille in your 
command?" 

"Yes, I still have it." 

" Are you pleased with it ? " 

" Oh, they are splendid — a most devoted lot. Just think, those 
young men give up everything for their country, their youth, their 
blood; I most certainly am proud to be their commander." 

"Are Luf bery and Thaw here now ? I shall probably go to America, 
and I should be sorry not to have their portraits to show to their com- 
patriots." 

"Too late to-day; it is eleven o'clock, but to-morrow I'll invite 
them to luncheon and introduce them to you." 

" I also want to make a portrait of you, if you can arrange it." 

" Why, yes, but on condition you do it right away, because I leave 
the day after to-morrow by order of the Quartermaster-General." 

" Is Brocard also at Cachy ? " 

" Yes, he is there. The sector is divided between us, and we do 
good work ; and the Boches don't get much of a chance." 

We had now arrived, and as on all such occasions, I found old friends 
and made some new ones. De Kerillis was also there with his famous 
escadrille of Caudron bi-motors ; the same one that bombarded Karls- 

[ 100 ] 




WILLIAM THAW 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

ruhe with such great success, killing about six hundred, and about 
the same number at Nancy. 

I remember so well their departure ; the machines were so heavy 
with gasoline and shells that they could hardly leave the ground. It 
was one of those reprisal raids which made the Boche pay dearly for 
his crimes at Bar-le-duc. Of nine planes, two remained prisoners after 
a terrific fight at a height of four thousand meters, when they were 
engaged against twelve Boches. 

Another bombardment, of Absheim, led by Commandant Happe, 
the one that they called — for I have heard that he did not like to hear 
it — the pirate of the air, was almost like it, but with a difference. 

Commandant Happe was certainly the most terrible adversary 
that ever French aviation had employed ; very tall, with a brown 
beard, reserved, and without the slightest care for personal safety ; on 
the contrary, the only charge that might be made against him was 
temerity ; but it is hard to reproach a chief who sets a good example 
— who takes the lead in every expedition at the head of his group. 

*« It is war," he said to me ; " we must keep on continually killing 
the Boches, for the dead are the ones who never return to fight again." 

Every occasion to do this was a good one for him. If during a 
flight he made out a railroad train, he came down immediately and 
headed directly for it. Flying low at a level with the windows of the 
cars, he poured a fusillade from his machine gun into the occupants. 
He attacked military trains only, and always drew off if he caught 
sight of a woman or a child among them. 

In bombarding expeditions, as I have already said, the setting-out 
and the fighting can be done with sufficient safety; it is only on the 
return that the exposure is great and an engagement almost inevi- 
table. That of was a terrible example. Captain X, an Argen- 
tine volunteer, a pilot before the war, of great bravery and absolute 
self-forgetfulness, gave me an account of it. 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

They had left Luxeuil, near Belfort. After a successful bombard- 
ment of the city, there were thirty of them in all returning, when 
they fell in with about forty Boche planes and attacked them at once. 
It was magnificent! It lasted ten minutes; air battles are always 
soon over. Just imagine these fighters flying at a speed of one hun- 
dred miles a minute ! At last a dozen of them on each side were seen 
to fall; some in flames, others with tanks exploding; it was a grand 
display of fireworks. 

Ten minutes later there remained no visible trace of that terrible 
meeting of men in the regions of the eagle, except perhaps a few 
faint, dark streaks of smoke, that faded away on the breath of a light 
breeze. It was the most famous air battle of the war, and if it was so 
fearful, it was because each enemy knew his adversary, and ardentl)?^ 
wished to destroy him at any price, or to capture him. The Boches 
were so desirous of getting Happe that they had set a price on his head. 

While talking of these adventures with the Captain, the hour for 
luncheon arrived, and I was now a little late for it. Thaw and Luf- 
bery were already there. These two men represented two very 
different types ; Thaw was refined, distinguished-looking, with a cer- 
tain sweetness of manner: he commanded the Lafayette Escadrille. 
He was, like Luf bery, one of the first American aviators, and the en- 
tire escadrille was made up of his compatriots ; men who professed 
a deep admiration and love for France ; and who — among the very 
first — voluntarily and spontaneously answered the call of Lafayette, 
and said, " We are not many, but our example will bear fruit. The 
soil of America is so fertile that for every grain planted in that land 
of liberty, there will be produced hundreds of thousands." This 
prophecy is to-day accomplished, and it was Pershing, who before 
the tomb of Lafayette announced it in those simple words, " We are 
here " ; and he also announced it to the Boches of Saint-Mihiel by 
the noise of his cannon and the spirit of his soldiers ! Glory be to all 

C 102 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

the heroes of the Lafayette Escadrille, to which belongs the honor 
of first shedding American blood on the altar of Liberty. 

From the date of its organization. Thaw commanded that fight- 
ing squadron, whose exploits, both of individuals and in general, 
have been most remarkable ; it occupies a place in the minds of our 
men far above the average of our fighting squadrons. Its pilots have 
each received their Croix de Guerre ; each of them has brought down 
several adversaries; Thaw has downed his eighth, and Lufbery, 
whose French friends familiarly called him "I'oeuf " (the Egg), fell, 
alas, his glorious task incomplete, after twenty-one victories. 

His physiognomy shone with loyalty — his clear look, with the 
blue of steel, gave an impression of great promptness and decision. 
He was lively and energetic ; but his nose, slightly flattened on his 
face, suggested a thoroughbred courier of the air, and his jaw great 
material force under the control of an indomitable will. 

His death, like that of Guynemer, — without at all resembling 
that in manner, — was a deeply tragic one ; like a cherished child of 
God, Minerva seemed to have surrounded him with her protection. 
In his last fight his adversary set him afire; at once he planed to 
earth, with the evident intention of landing before being destroyed 
by the flames. The length of this flight must have been too great, 
for at hardly three hundred yards from the ground, he was seen to 
throw himself out of his plane, and fall into a bed of flowers. His fall 
was fatal. They picked him up insensible from among the roses and 
the laurels, which seemed to weep over him. 

Back to Paris — and after having turned over to General Niox, 
director of the Army Museum, my pictures on maritime aviation, I 
went to call on an under-secretary of aviation, my friend Captain 
Maurice, whom I had known when he was a member of the First 
Bombarding Group. 

I 103 3 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

'* Well, Farre, when are you coming to us ? It is very important 
for our schools and for history as well, as everything will practically 
disappear after the war. These are worth a great deal, and besides, 
a careful record should be made of them for history's sake." 

*' Whenever you like. Captain." 

'* Would you like me to tell Colonel Girod to order you to the 
Department?" 

" Why — yes — I would." 

" Well, that 's all right; you can go in peace now, but not for very 
long; in two days you may expect orders." 

" And the Quartermaster-General? " 

" Oh, it does not matter about the Quartermaster-General, as long 
as you are ordered by the Department." 

I went immediately. Taking a list of schools and a map, I planned 
my tour of France ; this expedition in the peace zone scarcely suited 
me; it would require at least three months to do everything, and 
three months' absence from the front would be a little difficult to 
make up. Go on, old Wandering Jew, trot along ; and I made up 
my list. 

First Chartres ; then Amberieux, near Lyons ; Miramas ; Yetres, 
near Marseilles ; Pau in the Pyrenees ; Gazeaux, school for aerial 
marksmanship near Bordeaux, and return to Paris. Afterward Avor, 
an important school furnishing two hundred pilots a month ; Tours, 
Chateauroux, Vineuil, Issoudun for the Americans, were then scarcely 
planned and did not yet exist. 

I was accompanied by an officer whose duty it was to make a re- 
port upon any emplacement selected. I did not neglect Etampes, 
Juvisy, and Buc, all three in the suburbs of Paris ; Issy, also, and les 
Moulineaux, our great manufacturing center. Forty studies was the 
result of this trip, and I was anxious to return again to the front. 









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RAOUL LUFBERY 



XVI 

WITH THE STORK ESCADRILLE 

MY friend. Commandant Brocard, under whose orders the fa- 
mous Stork Escadrille was operating, was then at Manon- 
court, near Nancy. My group was there too, but I had not yet asked 
for new orders ; but on announcing my arrival by telephone the next 
day, I found myself among these formidable fighters. Ah, how nice 
they seemed ; they had nothing arrogant or malicious about them : 
Lieutenant Heurtaux, almost a boy ; the distinguished DeuUin, who 
regarded me with curiosity ; the lively Captain Auger and the reserved 
Pere Dorme, calm as deep water ; the street urchin Raymond, always 
content ; Fonck, who was just beginning to distinguish himself, and 
who had already passed in number the victories of Guynemer ; de la 
Tour, who was at the hospital taking care of his jaundice ; Lieutenant 
Duval — and in fact, the entire crowd. 

Guynemer was not there ; he arrived some days afterwards. All 
these officers were lodged in an immense farmhouse that they called 
the "chateau " as a joke, because it was the largest in the village. 

** Ah, here you are. Good-morning, old chap." 

** Commandant, I want to thank you for taking me into the bosom 
of your formidable family." 

" To take you in is very easy for me, but to find you a lodging is 
difficult. How long do you expect to remain ? " 

" Upon my word, sir, I don't know — fifteen days — three weeks 
— months ; it will depend upon these gentlemen." 

" They are a very good lot, but it will be hard for you to get them 
to pose for you. Look at them first — gain their confidence — they 
are already disgusted with several of your colleagues, who were not 

C 105 ;] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

very successful, however, and that makes them rather suspicious." 
Then, turning towards his secretary, " Say, Tournier, our house is 
full, is n't it?" 

*' As full as an egg^ Commandant," replied Tournier. 

*' Where the devil can we lodge our friend Farre ? " 

« I '11 take care of that, sir." 

*' Great — I have an idea ; go and find Monsieur le Cure. I re- 
member he told me that he could spare me a room. Run and see if it 
is still at my disposal. 

" Curses ! That telephone again — I would like to blow it to bits. 

" Hello, this is Commandant Brocard ! Yes ! 

« What is it ? 

« An enemy squadron — where } 

" I can't hear. 

** Over Nancy ? 

« Well, what kind of planes ? 

« What 's that ? 

" Bombarding — in what direction ? 

« Due north ? " 

Then he wrote the following order : "Squadron No. 3, a group of 
four bombarding planes coming from the north are directed towards 
Nancy. Four fighting planes will immediately prepare to meet them. ' ' 
He added the following postscript: " De Billy will please communi- 
cate this to Lieutenant Heurtaux, commanding the Third Escadrille, 
for immediate execution." 

Tournier was just returning. " Well, what did that dear old cure 
say?" 

" He says he is waiting for Monsieur Farre, Commandant; a room 
is at his disposition." 

" Oh, that 's splendid ! Please excuse me ; I have piles of papers on 
my desk as high as my head ! Make yourself comfortable and 

C 106 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

remember that you are in your own house; we have luncheon at 
noon." 

It was then eleven o'clock, and I made use of a moment's leisure 
to pay a call on the cure, and to take possession of my room. 

It was now February, 1917, and the weather very damp and cold 
at night ; it had already frozen solid and hardened the thick mud of 
the roads. 

To-day was balmy and exhilarating, but at midday, in passing 
over to the castle where these gentlemen messed, I had to cross a 
swamp where the mud had been thawed out by the sun. 

The Commandant placed me on his right, and Captain Auger 
alongside of me. What a difference from Dunkerque — quite the re- 
verse here, for sometimes three, four conversations kept pace with 
the noise of the mess service ; Father Dorme said nothing. 

" Well, gentlemen," said the Commandant, "what is the result of 
your expedition this morning ? " 

"Oh, Commandant, I forgot — a telephone message was received 
a moment ago, during your absence, from the Twenty-eighth Divi- 
sion, saying that a Boche bombarding plane fell in flames in the For- 
est of Pont-a-Mousson." 

" I brought it down, sir," cried Captain Auger ; " I did not wish to 
mention it to you before the news had been confirmed." 

" Idiot, why not ? " 

" Dorme struck one down himself at Luneville, but it is not yet 
confirmed," said Lieutenant Heurtaux. 

" Look at Father Dorme," said the Commandant in a low voice to 
me ; " he never says much, but he is my best help. He does n't say 
a word when anything like this happens. As soon as he lands, he 
takes off his teddy-bear, changes his helmet for a cap, — which his 
mechanic always has ready for him, — takes his cane, and goes to his 
office ; makes his report without any superfluous words, and then goes 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

for a walk. He is certainly a character ; look at that head ; I would 
give a good bit to see him with a fishing-line in his hand near some 
creek — would n't you ? " 

"I think he is rather disconcerting." 
• Well, of all my pilots, he and Heurtaux are the best." 
How about Guynemer ? " 
Oh, Guynemer, — that 's another thing." 
" Where do you get your pilots, Commandant ? Do they send them 
to you from the rear, or can you choose them? " 

" Principally from the rear. I usually know something of the pilots 
who ask to come, or if I don't, I am guided more or less by the opin- 
ions of one of these chaps ; and if by chance I draw a weak brother 

— somebody I don't know — and if he has cold feet, he will not tarry 
here very long. He will ask of his own accord to change. As you see, 
it is like a real family." 

"Yes, it is a perfectly happy mess," I said, "with such a chief and 
such men; it is ideal. One of the greatest qualities of a chief is to pro- 
mote harmony among his subordinates ; be dignified, and make him- 
self loved and respected by setting a good example." 

" Yes, that 's very true, and the whole thing in a nutshell." 
" Commandant, you remind me, by your amiable qualities and even 
by your physical appearance, of a great friend of mine that I have lost 

— Lieutenant Mouchard." 

" Ah, you knew him ! — a fine fellow ; what a sublime death he 
suffered." 

" Oh, wonderful, beautiful ! " 

" Were you there ? " 

" Yes ; if he had let me, I should have been with him. He did not 
sacrifice his life in vain, for how many night bombardments have been 
made since he led the way ! " 

The postman arrived and we went over the mail with our coffee. 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

About one hundred letters arrived here for the fifteen officers. Tour- 
nier distributed the mail. 

"Heurtaux, here's something for you — Deullin — Raymond, 
that 's from your little friend. What 's the matter with you ! " 

" Be a little more respectful," said Raymond, laughing. 

" Guynemer, Guynemer, always Guynemer ! " 

" Oh, he 's a sad man with his mail ; there 's never anything except 
for him," cried Auger ; ** he seems to be the real thing." 
, " Auger, here 's something for you — stop crying," said Tournier. 

" Ah, that 's fierce luck — from my father ; have n't you any oth- 
ers ? " asked Auger. 

" To-morrow, old dear. Dorme not here ? Where is he ? He does 
n't hang around here much ! " 

" Ah, yes, one for the chief; one that smells good. Those from the 
Quartermaster-General have no smell. Here's a package too, sir! " 

"Let 's see the package; that 's what most interests me." 

Upon opening it we found, carefully wrapped together, as many 
handkerchiefs as there were pilots in Squadron No. 3. 

** Ah, she seems to be pretty well informed — this lady." 

They were beautifully embroidered by hand with a stork, which 
was the emblem of the squadron, and a card accompanied them. 

** Who is it? Who is it?" cried Auger curiously. 

"You shut up!" 

" To Commandant Brocard, commanding Group No. 2 of Fighting 
Planes. 
" Commandant, permit me, as an admirer of your heroes, to offer 
this homage to their valor. 

(Signed) "X" 

" Here is something that the observation squadrons never receive," 
said I to the Commandant. 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" Ah, the unfortunates ! I should say not ! " 

In the afternoon, every one went about his business and joined his 
squadron to go out hunting Boches and to go over his plane. All of 
them, or nearly all of them, went in the Spad, the very latest inven- 
tion of an engineer named Bechereau ; it was a wonderful machine and 
really very superior in design to all other fighting planes. Neverthe- 
less, the Nieuport was still preferred by some pilots, who found it more 
handy. 

The afternoon was fine and the sun warm, and I said to myself, " I 
will take advantage of it, for if it rains to-morrow, good-bye to my 
studies, for fine days are very rare at this season of the year." 

Taking my painting gear, I went dowoi to the camping grounds, 
carrying with me something to sit on and something for an easel ; 
usually three cans of gasoline — one to sit on, and the others placed 
on top of each other made a very fine easel. Guynemer was not 
there, but his plane was, and pulling it out of the hangar and placing 
it in a position for taking flight, I made a drawing of it, in order to 
familiarize myself with its shape, which was still new to me. The 
greater part of the pilots gathered around me, except Raymond. I had 
just finished my study when a plane came down. 

"Ah, that's Auger; I know him by the way he lands — splendid 
pilot." 

" Good style, too, has n't he ? " said I. 

"Oh, yes." 

It turned out to be really he. 

" Well, old man, what do you suppose I did over Frouart ? I had 
a little run over the course with four Boches. Oh, those rotters ! They 
just barely failed to get me too! Look here," — and he showed me a 
rip in the leather of his vest. 

" But you are wounded, old man." 

" No ; it 's only the skin of my coat." 

C "o ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

"But I tell you it is your own — look here," — and putting his 
finger into the tear, he drew it out dripping with blood. 

" Oh, by Jove, that 's too much." He took off his coat and exposed 
a furrow in his skin, the whole length of one side. " That 's fierce; 
I never felt it; I mean to say I did feel a little shock, but I did n't be- 
lieve the bullet had struck. My pocketbook — what 's happened to 
it? — shot through and through ! " and he pulled out a package of 
one hundred franc bank-notes, shot through. 

'*Oh, a fine souvenir; I must have one," I said. 

"All right, old chap, that 's one hundred francs, even though there 
is a history to it." 

"Thank you — you give me great pleasure," said I, offering him 
another brand-new one; "now one of your bank-notes is well 
again." 

" Ah, that 's the kind of a wound to have," he said, laughing. 
" Do you think I can call this a regular war wound ? " 

" You must be crazy ; of course you can as long as blood was 
shed." 

" Now, old man, it was the other one whose blood was shed. I 
came down on him and I never left him. I wanted to catch him, you 
know, but he bore a charmed life, and in the midst of it I suddenly 
discovered the fire of four machine guns concentrated on me. But I 
was thinking of the other one; he will never need a wound certifi- 
cate. The Commandant will be glad for my sake, for that makes 
my fifth — believe me — and I am now an Ace with a big A. Do 
you understand that — an Ace; do you know what that means?" 
He was crazy with joy. "What do you say to that? One this 
morning and one this evening. Where is the Commandant now ? " 

" Where would he be if not in his office ? " 

" Well, come along, and don't worry me. I have full right to be 
pleased now and to tell it to all the world, and I am going to do it." 

i: 1" 1 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

He ran into the office and cried, ** Old man, there it is ; that makes 
the fifth. You must put me in the running for a citation this time." 

** Lord, what a chatter ! Keep quiet, will you ? " 

The Commandant was telephoning the Quartermaster-General; 
they were very old friends, and when they were together, the differ- 
ence in rank made no difference in their friendship. He hung up 
the receiver. 

" Are you sick, old man ? " 

" No, I 'm not sick, but you have got to sign me a wound certifi- 
cate all the same. Look!" 

" You must go to the hospital ; and what have you done, anyway ? " 
said the Commandant, chaffing him. 

" I want to tell you again that I have just brought down another 
Boche, and that it is necessary for you to put me on the list for a 
citation. I am an Ace now with a big A ; is n't that so, Raymond ? " 

" Patience, patience, my son ; wait for the confirmation." 

When a pilot has brought down his fifth plane, the Chief of the 
squadron telegraphs his fifth victory to Headquarters, and that gives 
him the right to be carried in the next general orders to the whole 
army with a citation of service rendered, for the press to publish the 
following day in the Official Gazette. 

Whenever pilots merited this distinction, their machinists called 
them Aces, which has the same signification amongst the pilots as the 
ace card has in a game of cards ; that is to say, the strongest card, 
and this is the etymology of the word " ace," of which many persons 
are ignorant. This title has nothing official, and it sprung from the 
slang of the machinists, but that does not prevent it from being quoted 
in all languages and in every country in the world. 

Dear old Auger was my first model — with a surprising vivacity, 
always contented; he was the last word in good fellows among the 

[ 112 ^ 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

squadron, and he shared a room with his old friend Heurtaux. From 
the time he turned out in the morning, he sang hke a bird, giving 
imitations of an orchestra in a country fair playing all instruments at 
once. Too brave, too rash, he would never succeed in increasing very 
much the number of his victories, for every day he told of his fights 
against three, four, five Boches. 

" Oh, I 'm crazy, I know," he said, after listening to the advice of 
the Commandant. " I know that they will get me in the end, but be- 
fore I go, my dear friend, they will have to pay the price of my 
hide." 

Six months later at Dunkerque, a little before the death of his com- 
rade Guynemer, he was mortally wounded on the aerial field of bat- 
tle, but had the strength left to bring his machine back to his squad- 
ron headquarters. His weakness, however, caused him to make a 
bad landing, and he tumbled. Running to his rescue, they pulled him 
out from under his machine; he had just died with a ball in his fore- 
head after his seventh victory. 

Already Lieutenant Dorme had preceded him among the heroes 
"dead on the field of honor," and, like him, was killed in unequal 
combat. We knew it from the capture of an enemy aviator, in whose 
pockets we found his watch, in which was engraved his name — " To 
Father Dorme." The death of Lieutenant Dorme was a great enemy 
victory and a great loss for French aviation ; with his calmness and 
grasp of tactics, he was one of the most daring pilots of the air. 

Being in the spirit of it one day, he told me the story of one of his 
adventures. 

" You know how I fly, don't you — never in a straight line. I go 
up or I descend; I turn to the left or right; I never give time for a 
Boche to surprise me ; by doing this, I always have a chance to sur- 
prise them. This morning after one of my descents, I discovered one 
of them just above me. Oh, there he was, and he needed to be pro- 

I "3 •} 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

tected by the good God. I held him right where I wanted him for 
about ten minutes, at the end of my machine gun, until I made out 
what became of him and I saw him fall. I again pulled the trigger of 
my machine gun, but nothing happened; it was jammed. I tried to 
repair it, but nothing doing. I had to watch him speed off and was 
powerless to prevent his getting away. It was a lucky escape for 
him, let me tell you, and I am sure there would have been no doubt 
about it if my machine gun had not jammed." 

" His time had not come," I replied ; " and, as you say, his old Gott 
protected him." 

Some days later I had the pleasure of seeing him in a different light. 
Guynemer had come back and brought with him his third captain's 
stripe and his cross of officer of the Legion of Honor. We decided 
to give him a good reception and to include in the honors Comman- 
dant Brocard, who had also got a promotion. It was the restaurant of 
la Liegeoise, formerly known as la Viennoise, which had the honor 
of gathering together in the evening, at a banquet, all the Aces of 
No. 2 Combat Group. 

I remember very well the manner in which the great Chief of 
Aviation, Colonel Barres, president, felicitated Guynemer. 

"Look here, Guynemer," said he, ** I remember you as a simple 
private ; now you are captain. If you continue this speed, you will be 
a general before I am." 

In the middle of the table there was placed a white stork, which 
was the emblem of No. 3 squadron. Dorme got hold of this and made 
it part of all his fantastic pranks during the rest of the evening. I have 
never seen a living being transform himself so rapidly, but I attributed 
it to the speedy disappearance of the first bottle of champagne. 

At dessert I took one of the little French flags which ornamented 
the table and collected on it the signatures of all the principal heroes 
of the air present. Dear, precious little French flag ; five of these sig- 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

natures are already carried in the golden book of those who died for 
their country. I shall preserve it carefully. 

After dinner, the party broke up and each one left in the auto- 
mobile that had brought him. I found myself ensconced in that oc- 
cupied by Dorme, Raymond, and Lieutenant de Vaisseau Nogrel. 

" Look here. Father Dorme, we are not going to go home, are 
we ? " said Raymond. 

" Not on your life ! " exclaimed Nogrel. 

" My word, I want to go out bombarding to-night," said Dorme; 
" where is Boubouse ? " ( Boubouse was the driver of the car. ) 

" Don't worry about him, old man ; there he is. He feels there 's 
wind in the sails this evening — he is pleased enough, all right," an- 
swered Nogrel. 

" Come here, Boubouse — look here, do you know Nancy ? " 

"Yes, sir." 

"You must know wherd there is something open this time of 
night." 

In the dusk of the evening his face was illuminated by a smile. 
He simply nodded his head, but this sign spoke worlds. I saw some 
fun ahead for that night, and wondered how I could get out of it. 
It was already ten o'clock ; the city was dark ; I had no carriage to 
get back to Manoncourt, which was at least fifteen kilometers away, 
and I objected timidly and with reason. 

" You know, we have got to have special permission to run around 
town at this hour of the night, and the general commanding this place 
has given us permission only until ten o'clock." 

" Ah, Father Farre, don't hinder us. What 's the matter with you ? 
You are not going to hold us up in that way ; why not have a little 
run? We may be smashing our heads off to-morrow — what? " 

"What could I say to that?" I thought, and made no further re- 
monstrance. 

C "5 3 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

The next day, or rather the same morning, as the sun rose upon 
the horizon, it found them on the job and already in the air waiting for 
the awakening of the inhabitants of Nancy, for it was always in 
the early dawn that our Boche friends bombarded our good city of 
Nancy — and it was nothing new to have a few Boche planes in sight 
at luncheon. 



XVII 

A DELIGHTFUL EVENING 

THE evening of the day following this feast, every one felt the 
need of a little repose and rest, and all took themselves off home 
early. The prodigal son. Lieutenant de la Tour, almost thoroughly 
recovered in health, had again taken his place at mess, and, with his 
usual blithe spirits, entertained his comrades with much interesting 
conversation. 

" Tell me, de la Tour, what are you doing around here, anyway ? " 
said the Commandant. " It seems to me that you have about three 
weeks of leave for your convalescence." 

"Yes, Commandant, that's true, but if you don't mind, I won't 
take advantage of it, because for a long time I have not flown; every 
one has brought down his German while I have been in the hospital, 
and I am very anxious to catch up." 

" You are a pretty fierce subject ; you want to be as good as Dorme. 
Now don't mistake me — I don't blame you ; on the contrary, I think 
you show the right spirit." 

" I simply want forty-eight hours' leave to go to Paris, Comman- 
dant," he said, laughing. 

" Granted ; I know why; go ahead ! " 

" And how about my mail? " said Guynemer. 

"Ah, my good Captain," — was n't it perfectly disgusting to have to 
call this youngster Captain ? — " here, old man," said Captain Auger. 
"There you are, there's your mail." 

Another hundred letters from almost all parts of the world except 
Germany were placed on the big table in the mess-room, and there 
was a scramble as each one sorted out his own letters. There were 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

some for everybody, but acting with discretion, I will simply say that 
the greater part of these very fine-looking letters proved beyond 
doubt the existence of sincere admirers — women, children, young 
girls and boys — fired with patriotism, showing their admiration for 
the new Chevalier Bayard. There were many requests for autographs 
made under one pretext or another ; I may add that few received 
them. 

At such times Lieutenant Heurtaux frequently furnished us music 
on a piano. 

This evening was a delightful one for me. Usually the best flyers 
do not make up an artistic reunion. The subjects of their conversa- 
tion are not varied, and aside from descriptions of their exploits, which 
they exchange with each other, they hardly afford me intellectual 
nourishment of a professional kind. However, with this crowd, it was 
somewhat different. All of these heroes, the oldest being not more than 
twenty-five years of age, were of good family, well educated, with 
good minds, and Commandant Brocard encouraged professional study 
among them. 

" I should like very much indeed to hear them tell their tales," I 
said to the Commandant. " How can I get them to do it .? " 

"That isn't easy to do; they are not very great talkers. De la 
Tour seems to be well disposed. I will try to start him on one of his 
fights. Look here, de la Tour, where were we when you brought 
down your last Boche, with two of his mates, all going down in 
flames?" 

" That was on the Somme, Commandant." 

** Tell us, will you, what happened ? Farre wants to make a pic- 
ture of it, which will be a great and interesting thing for history." 

"Ah, Commandant, it is n't the custom of the Squadron to do that. 
I should bore these gentlemen." 

"Oh, go ahead," said Auger; " we can stand it." 

[ 118 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" It 's an order, then." 

" No, old man," replied Raymond with a wave of his hand. " It 's 
a prayer — you speak so well." 

I saw his embarrassment, and went over and took a seat near him, 
alongside of the stove; and while the conversation was renewed 
among the others, I listened to him. 

" You remember our trip to Cachy, near Amiens, in the month of 
May, 1916. One day when it was raining torrents, you came to see 
the Commandant but soon went away. It was during the offensive of 
the Somme. By cricky, how many Boche planes were brought down 
at that time ! We were really masters of the air ! My fight occurred 
then, and it was the first time that I ever felt any emotion at the 
death of an enemy. Those five minutes of the drama made an in- 
delible impression upon me. 

" I left at sunrise one beautiful morning. The soft clouds in the 
heavens were very high, the atmosphere clear. I knew that the Boche 
only crossed the lines at an altitude varying between five and seven 
thousand meters. * If I keep below them, I shall not encounter any- 
thing,' I thought. 

" My motor was running beautifully ; I felt that the machine could 
rise to any height. At about four thousand meters, I ran into a light 
bank of stratus clouds, which spread out horizontally and then verti- 
cally like a head of hair or a grove of weeping willows. Their color, 
brought out by the rising sun, was golden, blue, mauve, and various 
other shades; another cloud a thousand meters higher was just the 
same. 

"Still higher, the action of the sun produced a different effect. 
Clouds there resembled tufts of carded wool and formed golden lines, 
and stretched out at about the same height. After going above 
these clouds, I found myself between six and seven thousand meters 
high and no longer saw the earth, except through parts of clouds in 

t "9 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

which there were gaps. Above me there was nothing except the 
vaulted blue dome of heaven. I considered this a splendid point of 
view, and had the whole of that vast space to myself, for there was 
no enemy in sight, not even a black spot that might denote another 
plane. 

" I flew to the right and to the left, made turns, and left no part 
of the heavens unsearched, until finally, as my machine took a rise, I 
made out a little black point. * Ah, there 's a comrade ! Is it a true 
comrade or a false one ? ' I thought. * I will run over to him, anyway.' 
The distance that separated us then was about six kilometers and 
was rapidly diminishing. He had seen me, and evidently the same 
thought entered his head. 

"I tested my machine gun; ta-ta-ta, going all right; I could 
count on that. You know, at such heights, the atmospheric pressure 
not being the same, the machine gun sometimes works badly or even 
stops. This is appalling when it happens in the presence of an ad- 
versary, who remains in good condition himself and brings you down 
without pity. We were now separated by only about fifteen hundred 
meters, I began to make him out. No doubt it was a Boche, and 
judging from his speed, a fighting plane. 

"Three seconds later I could make out his model. It was an 
Albatross of most recent design — about the same form and quality 
as our Spad which I was piloting. By certain maneuvers that he 
made I was able to size him up. *Now,' said I to myself, *just wait; 
that chap there has fire in his eye and is after your scalp. It is up to 
you to try to get his.' 

"We passed each other several times; it was evident that he 
wished to catch me on the run ; that is to say, to get in my dead angle, 
just behind me. The fighting qualities of our two machines were 
about equal, but nevertheless I seemed to have the advantage over 
him in speed; it was a fight between skilled tacticians. 

C 120 ] 




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SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" The action became hot and in earnest. I turned towards my foe; 
he did the same. I slowed down in order to turn better; as soon as he 
passed me, I veered rapidly and got in his wake. I opened my throttle 
and kept up the speed, never slacking an instant, when at about 
twenty meters from him, I saw him turn and look at me, know- 
ing he was a dead man, whether he dived or whether he kept on 
straight. 

" He swerved to the left and commenced to circle in order to get 
out of his position of danger, and into a position in my rear, but I was 
watching his every movement and held close to his stern, and then 
became involved in the maneuver of ' chasing tails.' So we kept on 
turning for a time that seemed like a hundred years — he doing his 
best to keep out of the arc of fire of my machine gun and I trying to 
get him within it. 

" Just once, for a moment only — not over two seconds — I had 
him * on ' with my gun-sights ; I pressed the trigger. I saw my mur- 
derous shots strike him in vital parts — his machine wobbled — he 
was wounded or killed. He dropped down like a sinking ship, and 
fell through space like a dead leaf in autumn. I could not resist stay- 
ing near him and spiraling downward with him. 

" Our fight had lasted five minutes, and it was quite time it was 
over, for I saw two enemies approaching to succor their comrade. 
Being out of ammunition, I stopped my descent; the other two 
turned about fifteen hundred meters below me ; I should be able to 
dodge them. 

" The beaten adversary turned round and round in the air, fall- 
ing slowly. A light trail of smoke followed his machine. Suddenly 
it burst into flames and fell to earth like an enormous torch, 
leaving behind it a heavy column of black smoke. His two com- 
rades saw him fall, and ceasing their efforts to get near me, they 
commenced to turn in spiral descent around their lost comrade. 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

with a view apparently to attending him in his terrible but glorious 
death. 

" This produced a strong impression upon me. His death appeared 
to me to be most horrible. Perhaps, unconsciously, I thought how I 
should feel if I had been in his place." 

" I don't think the Boche would have the same feeling regarding 
you," I said. 

" That 's very likely, and it was that thought which brought me to 
my senses about the fallen German ! " 

"That was a true aerial tournament between two adversaries, 
very fierce and very fine ; but, it is not always that way." 

" All except fighting planes are in great danger. Our scouting 
planes are not protected, and whenever any of them are attacked, 
seventy-five out of a hundred are brought down." 

*< Well, if you want to stop that, we have got to be masters of the 
air, and you fighting planes ought to realize that." 

'* You are absolutely right, Farre," said Guynemer, coming up at 
that moment. " Poor old observation bombarding planes — it is sim- 
ply murder to bring them down. It is very rarely that one meets in 
the air an adversary of equal force in both strength and material. One 
cannot be expected to give quarter to machines that come over our 
lines. We should attack them at all hazards and with all our strength, 
whether it is in a sense gallant to do so or not, for the consequences 
are very great, indeed, when we consider our infantry and artillery ; 
but in spite of right, there exists a natural repugnance to an unequal 
fight, for then we become simply assassins. When you come to 
think it over, they have no such pity for us, and you can't make me 
think otherwise. 

*' Tell me, as I am free to-morrow morning, would you like to 
have me pose for my portrait?" 

" Most willingly ; and while you are posing, you can tell me some- 

C 122 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

thing of your aerial experiences ; you must have had a lot of them, and 
some very interesting," 

« Well, you can judge that yourself. To-morrow at nine o'clock, 
after early breakfast. If that is all right, I am going to bed now." 

" That will be splendid. Captain ; I am going too." 



XVIII 

GUYNEMER 

THE following day the weather changed and it was raining. 
" All the better," I thought, " Guynemer will not be tempted 
to go out." And so indeed, when I entered the dining-room, he was 
already there. 

" Bad weather, Captain," I said. 

"It's funny," he replied; "I can't get used to being called that, 
and I really prefer they should go on calling me * kid ' ; a title like 
Captain makes me feel too old." 

" How can you help it ? " said I. " War makes young captains, and 
I know your relatives and friends don't agree with you." 

" My two sisters are particularly pleased, though I can't say they 
are happy, for whenever I leave them, I can see they are afraid they 
will never see me again." 

" Well, now, if you 're ready, we will begin. Would you prefer 
that we go to your room ? " 

" Yes, I think I should ; I have already started a good fire in there 
with wood that does n't smoke. I collected it from pieces of Boche air 
propellers." 

" Phew, what sacrilege ! " 

** Why so ? Do you want any of it ? " 

" Well, I would n't say no if you asked me." 

" All right, I will send you some very interesting pieces. You have 
never been in my home in Compiegne. I have already started a very 
good war museum there : about twenty machine guns, airplanes that 
I have brought down, and all sorts of things — everything except the 
scientific instruments, which I am required to send to the technical 

C 124 ] 





A VICTORY OF GUYNEMER S 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

section for examination. When an enemy machine falls near them, 
the poilus always get there before me. The scoundrels simply pick it 
to pieces ; five minutes later it is like a plucked fowl, there is nothing 
left but the bones. How is the portrait coming along? " 

" I will show it to you in a moment. I am very much afraid that 
you will take time from your war work for this simple peace work." 

" Well, we will do both together." 

«* How can you manage that ? " I asked. 

" Bechereau made a most extraordinary photographic apparatus for 
me; it is secured to the machine gun, and it operates at the same time 
as the gun. You know very well I have brought down a great many 
Boches over our lines that have not been counted. Now with my 
snapshot Kodak, there will be no more doubts ; no one can contest a 
photograph. I am crazy to try it." 

" It is certainly a sure proof for everybody, and valuable, for it 
must be exasperating beyond words to see an adversary fall in flames 
and not be able to count him among one's victories." 

" Yes ; and then it is disgusting to have to go to look for them as 
far as their camps, for the farther we go, the less these gentlemen 
Boches will come up to our lines, or when they do come, they come 
in groups of three and four at a time." 

" Your fights must be very much alike, but the end, I suppose, is 
very different." 

" Well, yes and no. I have in mind three fights — all victories, 
which bear no resemblance to each other. Every fight is more or less 
governed by the kind of machine one is fighting. If it is a fighting 
plane — that is, a monoplane like our Spad — it is a real fight of about 
equal force and skill, and in such a case, the comparative skill of the 
pilots is what determines the fight ; but of course there is always a 
strong element of luck. Accuracy of aim at the speed at which we 
fight (about 160 kilometers an hour) is a very difficult thing. When 

C 125 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

you think that should you pass a centimeter's breadth either to the 
right or to the left, you are a dead man, it must be admitted that luck 
counts for a good deal. How many times I came near being killed 
either by bullets or by shrapnel, which have gone through my clothes ! 
But at the time I never gave it a thought. 

" Now if we attack a biplane, it is a different kind of a fight ; a bi- 
plane can only take the defensive, and very badly at that. When I 
say that, I have in mind our poor old Farman and Voisin machines ; 
they have the propeller in the rear. That is a splendid protection for 
the Boche fighting planes, or any others, in fact. It is only necessary 
for them to have a little more speed, and they will then be able to 
take position where and when they please, and bring down the foe 
easily without receiving any punishment." 

" Well," I said, thinking of Navarre when he flew all around me 
over Verdun, "the Boche planes are sometimes hampered by that 
inferiority." 

" It is much more difficult to bring down their observation planes 
than for them to bring down ours, just on account of this : their dead 
angle is more limited. Poor unfortunate observation comrades — it 
is all right — I have well avenged some of you. I am always seeing in 
my mind's eye that Rumpler turning end-over-end, a mass of flames 
plunging through a sea of clouds like a mad thing, and the sun lighting 
it up with its bright morning beams thrown across the battle-ground. 

" The Boche machine was set aflame by gun-fire and was tum- 
bling in somersaults. I could see that as soon as the pilot was shot, 
his wound caused him to make mistakes in the management of the 
plane, and that the life-belts which held the two passengers secure 
were both cut by gun-fire, throwing both of the occupants out of the 
machine; they disappeared through space and into the banks of 
clouds. Only a trail of smoke, leading through the pure white clouds, 
showed that the machine had ever been. 

[ 126 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

** I should have been sad, indeed, if I had not descended to deliver 
an unfortunate Farman returning from some spotting work, for if I 
had not got to him when I did, he would surely have met the same 
fate. 

" My second adventure was very much like the first, except that 
I just missed having the observer fall on top of me ; it was in trying 
to save one of our planes. Although I brought him down at the first 
shot, I recognized that I had to deal with a good marksman with 
plenty of spirit and sang-froid. He fired regularly, slowly, and care- 
fully, and I noticed that he took his time ; that he aimed carefully, for 
his bullets whistled past my ears uncomfortably close, several going 
through my clothes and one through my cap. I heard their noise 
above that of the motor. * Lord ! ' thought I, * if I don't get into his 
dead angle, he will surely get me.' 

" The pilot must have been very experienced, for he managed his 
machine beautifully, and materially assisted his machine-gunner by 
his careful turns, constantly giving him the advantage. I slowed down 
in order not to draw away, and placed myself a little below him. I 
had not yet fired, in spite of about twenty shots that I had received, 
but when I secured a position of advantage, I touched off a whole 
string of cartridges. I noted that the bullets — some of them — 
reached the target, and that the pilot must have been killed, for in 
the last fall he gave the tiller a fierce throw-over, so that the machine 
tumbled suddenly and threw the observer into the air ; as I was fly- 
ing directly behind him, I had to make a sudden swerve to avoid 
catching his body on my wings. I can see him still with his arms 
thrown out into the air, remaining just a second as if suspended from 
heaven, and then shooting down into space." 

"That is very interesting, indeed," said I, interrupting. 

" Ah, but my third is the finest ; I believe it to be unique in the 
whole history of aviation. It gave me my most cherished citation. 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

which was from my comrades of the * cigognes.' It was not really 
official." 

"And that is what makes it all the more precious, is n't it ? " 

" My word, yes ; and that 's the one I want to tell you about. I 
was trying out a new machine, and not expecting to fight, I had not 
loaded my gun according to my usual habit. I flew over the line and 
I was going along peacefully, not dreaming of harm, when all at 
once I was attacked by an Albatross biplane. I opened up the motor 
and got away from him by zigzagging, watching carefully for a 
chance to turn around. Finally, after a half- turn, I saw him draw 
away from me. ' All right,' I said to myself, < if he is trying to get 
away, what can be the matter with him ? Is his machine gun jammed ? 
Has n't he any more cartridges ? That may be.' I determined to 
make out what the trouble was, at all hazards. * I will creep up on 
him,' thought I, * and if he does n't fire, it is because he can't.' 

" I plunged down a little, in order to increase my speed, and in two 
minutes I was underneath him, and got him within my arc of fire. 
The fear of being brought down terrified him so that his gunner 
threw his arms up and made a sign of ' Kamerad.' I did the same as 
a sign of recognition and consent, and with my arm I indicated the 
direction to steer. Easily and quietly I piloted him back to our own 
camp. 

" It would be impossible to describe to you the astonishment of the 
mechanics at seeing a Boche plane coming voluntarily into their 
midst, with me following. As soon as I got to the ground, I jumped 
out and went up to my captive and presented myself, ' Lieutenant 
Guynemer ! ' His face brightened up with a kind of pride ; he was 
quite satisfied to be captured by me. ' Well,' said I, * you were wrong 
to give yourself up, for I didn't have a single shot in my gun.' Ah, 
if you could have seen his face change expression ; it was certainly 
comical. Enraged, the observer, without our noticing, pressed an 

C 128 ] 




ANOTHER VICTORY OF GUYNEMER S 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

electric button which set fire to his gasoline tank and burnt up the 
machine. It was I then who no longer laughed, for I was so happy 
to have captured that Boche plane, as it was an entirely new one. 

** It seems that I had a fierce look, with a mouth like an assassin. 
My photograph was taken at the time, and here it is. Look at that 
face!" 

" Oh, that 's splendid ; I 'd like to have it and also a drawing of 
those three victories." 

" So would I, although I can draw about as much as a stone can 
swim. How 's my portrait getting along ? " 

" The head is finished — here it is ; for the uniform I will pose your 
orderly, if that is agreeable, and it will require only one more sitting." 

"All right; if this weather continues to-morrow, we will have 
another sitting. Do you know that you are the first who ever suc- 
ceeded in doing anything with me, although it is true that I have 
hardly had time to pose ? My family will be delighted with this, and it 
is perfectly astonishing how rapidly you have done it." 

"Oh, that's all right; I have a very strong incentive. I can do a 
lot of painting in an hour." 

" Look here, that expression is n't bad." 

"I say, kid," cried the sharp voice of Captain Auger, "you don't 
want to fly to-day, do you ?" 

" Yes, what time is it ? — half-past twelve ! The Commandant will 
be angry. It seems to me that there are a good many vacancies to-day. 
Where are de la Tour, Dorme, Duval?" asked Guynemer, sitting 
down. 

" You are very indiscreet, my dear Captain Guynemer," said Heur- 
taux calmly ; "and apropos, is Duval going to leave us ? " 

"Yes, they have prohibited photographic service in fighting 
groups," answered the Commandant, " I am certainly astonished at it, 
for it was the best of all. Here 's a man recovered from his wounds re- 

C 129 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

ceived in the trenches, who might remain at home ; he prefers to con- 
tinue active service ; he does n't want to leave us, but I can see only 
one way to accommodate him, and that is after he has passed his ex- 
amination. After that I will see what can be done to get him a job as 
pilot in number three." 

"Oh, yes," said Heurtaux, "it is truly astonishing, I think, and 
we shall be only too happy to have him ; is n't that right, everybody? " 

" That 's quite right. Tell him to make his request, will you, Heur- 
taux?" 

" I will, with pleasure." 

" Well, Farre, how 's everything with you ? " 

" Not bad. Commandant ; I am working on Guynemer." 

" Since you completed Auger, DeuUin, Dorme, I am not worrying 
any more." 

" Under your care. Commandant, it could n't be otherwise." 

" What bad weather it is to-day ; one would think that we were at 
Cachy on the Somme." 

" Yes ; the weather was very much the same that time I came to see 
you. Commandant, tell me your feeling about those little personal 
trips which you loved to make in returning from expeditions?" 

" I don't get you." 

"I was over Chaulnes with Captain de Kerillis, and you passed so 
close to me that I read the number of your plane. * Ah,' said de Kerillis, 
* there is Brocard at his old game ; he is going to fly low and have some 
fun with the Boche cantonments in Chaulnes.' " 

" Ah, I liked that sector. What fine work we did ! We brought 
down so many Boches that we were truly masters of the air. I cer- 
tainly enjoyed that. What would you do ? I soon ceased to find game 
in the air, so went hunting on the earth — there 's fine hunting there. 
One day in the main street of Chaulnes, I began racing an automobile 
filled with a lot of officers. I must have petrified the chauffeur, because 

C 130 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

after a wild flight across the city, he dashed into an artillery train, which 
was going our way. You can imagine the result. Add to that the fire 
I kept up with my machine gun, and you have a very pretty picture 
of war. I never regretted my little detour on that occasion, for lack- 
ing anything better, I had eaten sparrows, which I found very good 
after all. It is the last resource of the unfortunate hunter ; not wish- 
ing to bring back any cartridges, he fires them off at any old en- 
emy and leaves them as his visiting card. 

" When there 's a chance to surprise the relief for the trenches, that 
is more dangerous, for then there are machine guns against airplanes." 

" Commandant." 

" What was the matter, my boy ? " 

*' Did you notice this morning the face of the Captain who came to 
call on you with the Staff? " 

" Yes, but what was the matter with it ? " 

" Oh, it was rich. Before coming to your office, they stopped at the 
field, and I was sitting calmly on the edge of my plane in overalls, 
smoking a cigarette. My rank marks were invisible, and on coming 
near me, he said, *Tell me, my little friend — ' " 

" That does n't surprise me — you look so young," interrupted the 
Commandant. 

" He said, * Is this the famous Stork Escadrille ? ' * Yes, Captain,' I 
replied. * Well, where are the aces? I don't see one.' 'Ah, Captain, 
you know,' I said to him in my gayest manner, 'that's something 
one does n't see every day. When they are not flying, they are seldom 
at the field, and when it rains as it does to-day, they stay in bed, like 
the lazy rascals they are. It is difficult, indeed, for you to see one.' He 
did not seem to be satisfied with that, I had some fun at his expense 
without knowing who he was, and when you presented me to the Gen- 
eral — Lieutenant Heurtaux, Commandant of the Stork Escadrille — 
the Captain who was the Staff officer recognized me in spite of my 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

change of dress, but I never let on. Nevertheless, he knew me as the 
mechanic w^ho had fun with him in the morning," 

" Always the cap and bells," said the Commandant ; " you are never 
serious." 

" Well, it 's all right if we can bring down the Boches, is n't it. 
Auger ? " 

" You disgust me, sir ; I don't want to serve under you. I was 
ashamed the other day when the Minister and General of Infantry 
passed us in review. Did n't you find it exasperating to see that kid 
Heurtaux with his two stripes ; and what did the General say ? " 

" He asked me first who was the Commandant of the Escadrille. 

" * Lieutenant Heurtaux, General.' 

** * Commandant, I don't understand,' he answered. * I see eight 
officers, three captains, and Lieutenant Heurtaux commands them. Is 
he a captain ? ' 

"Just then Heurtaux came up to us, saying his third stripe would 
come very soon. 

"That would be absurd ; the Stork Escadrille will soon be a Cap- 
tain Escadrille." 

" Why not, as long as I remain your Commandant?" We were 
finishing our lunch. "This coffee is rotten, don't you think so? In 
order to lighten up the gloom, I will play you a little bit of Beethoven." 

" Don't you think he is nice and honest? " said the Commandant. 
" He is just like a sweet young lady ; look at that bland smile and that 
innocent expression. Unfortunately he is not entirely lucky. He al- 
ways comes out of his fights knocked up in some way, for he has had 
three wounds and that is what annoys him so. He has twenty-one 
Boche planes to his credit, and he would have doubled that record had 
he not spent so much time in the hospital." 

Whenever the mail arrives, it brings a feeling of gayety and humor, 

C 132 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

and the postman is certainly a very welcome fellow. Guynemer is 
always the favorite. For a quarter of an hour there is very little said ; 
the family letters are read first, and then the others ; there is no con- 
versation. At two o'clock they all break up ; those who have military 
duties go to work at them. The others read, waiting for the weather 
to improve, so that they can spread their wings and fly off into the 
blue in search of new victories. 

A rainy afternoon is spent generally after the following manner. 
Very much like the birds that seem to be mortally afraid of wetting 
their feathers and remain in their retreats thoughtful and quiet, fight- 
ing aviators follow the same plan, and prefer to remain in their quar- 
ters in their slippers, reading before a good fire whenever they can 
have one. Sometimes, but not often, they play cards. 

After about four weeks of this kind of life, I left the Stork Esca- 
drille with a series of portraits and sketches of all descriptions. I was 
going to finish these various studies later on, and accompany them 
with stories told by the heroes themselves, adding to them my own 
personal experiences, so as to make them as near the truth as possi- 
ble. I could not finish the portrait of Guynemer, who was called to 
Paris to inspect a new plane for which he designed the armament. 

" I am leaving for Paris," he said to me in reply to my request to 
give him one more sitting, " to test out the armament of my * new 
coucou.' lam going to carry a thirty-seven, which will fire through 
the propeller. Old man, it is a regular marvel, and you can just see 
me bring down the Boches with it." 

** You certainly are a wonder ; not satisfied with bringing them 
down, you are devoting yourself to perfecting your gun." 

" Yes ; God knows I had trouble enough to get it adopted by the 
technical section, but it is all right at last, and I will try it out next 
week. Are you returning to Paris soon ? " 

" In two or three days, I hope." 

I 133 3 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

*' All right, come and look me up at the Hotel Edward VII, and 
we will arrange a date for our portrait." 

A few days afterward I took leave of Commandant Brocard and my 
new friends, and leaving Manoncourt, I returned to Paris to turn over 
my new paintings to General Niox, director of the Army Museum. 
As soon as I arrived I left word at the Hotel Edward VII for Guyne- 
mer. The next day he came to my studio, and I was able at last to 
get him for a whole hour entirely at my disposal, but even that time 
was not sufficient to allow me to get his fine face as I wanted it. I 
thought, " I will have time later on to finish it up," but, alas, I was mis- 
taken. Fate decreed otherwise, for he soon became immortal in the 
full glory of his career. 

*' Shall we have luncheon together, Guynemer ? " I asked him. 

" Certainly, thank you." 

" And afterwards, another little pose ?" 

" Ah, no, my friend, I have got to be at Buc at three o'clock and 
try out my new gun, and since it is dark at five o'clock, it will be nec- 
essary for us to hurry up luncheon, but I will promise to give you 
another sitting before I leave for the front. Would you like to come 
along and witness the trying out of my new gun ? " 

" With the greatest of pleasure ! " 

" We will take luncheon somewhere on the Grand Boulevard, and 
in that way we shall lose less time in getting to Buc." 

They had a one-hundred horse-power Hispano Suiza racing-car, a 
big white car with the engine snorting outside like thunder. We ran 
rapidly down the Rue Pigalle. After lunch we climbed into its com- 
fortable tonneau, and noticed pinned on our steering-wheel a square 
sheet of white paper, upon which was written, " Sale embusque " 
(You slacker). 

** Can you beat it ? " he asked, laughing. 

" Does that happen to you often ? " 

I 134 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" Sometimes, but not often. Once I found the car full of flowers ; 
another time full of women's old hats. It all depends upon whether 
I am known or not. When I wear my cloak, they take me for a 
slacker ; when I don't wear it, I get flowers. 

" One day I was with Heurtaux. We went directly to Buc, and 
having a little trouble with the machine, we stopped there. In the 
meantime we were passed by another automobile carrying two per- 
sons, who, seeing us laughing and behaving like kids, shouted 
* Slackers ! ' to us as they went by. I said to Heurtaux, * Look here, 
let 's teach those devils a lesson.' ' All right,' said he ; * that 's what 
we 've got to do.' We shot ahead like a cannon ball, and the big 
white automobile took up the chase of the wretches who had shouted 
at us. 

" Finally we passed them, turned around, and blocked the way. 
They had to stop, visibly surprised. I jumped out and climbed up on 
their running-board and said, * Which of you two called us slackers ? ' 
' I did,' said one of them in an arrogant tone. < All right, my son, I am 
Captain Guynemer and this is Captain Heurtaux,' — and throwing 
back our cloaks, we showed them our uniforms. Seeing our decora- 
tions, they turned white ; at the same time a slap in the face from me 
started the fellow stammering out some excuses. Both Heurtaux and 
myself were very much amused." 

" Look here, it seems to me that we are going at an unusual speed 
through the streets of Paris," I said, as we flew along, making turns 
which, without fine control, would have turned out badly indeed 
for us. 

" The police know me ; and besides, we are not out for our health 
alone. It is twenty kilometers from here to Buc, and we have to be 
there in about twenty minutes ; five minutes afterwards I must be in 
the air — so the good people of Paris will have to stand it." 

** You are always in the war zone." 

[ 135 3 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

*« Absolutely." 

We crossed Versailles in a cloud of dust, and three minutes after- 
wards we arrived at Buc. The sentry on duty presented arms, and 
everything was ready for the experiment. All the personnel of the 
school was out paying their tribute of admiration to the young hero. 
Small balloons larger than a man's head were sent up in the air. As 
soon as they were high enough, Guynemer shot up after them and 
brought them down with his gun. 

I heard his first shot as he attacked this inoffensive enemy. At that 
shot the balloon burst, the second the same way ; then Guynemer 
came down saying that he could n't keep it up — something had gone 
wrong with the gun. "Something blew out of the breech and just 
passed my face; but that 's a little detail," he said, "and experience 
teaches us a lot." In all his talks he was short and exact and never 
used superfluous words. 

« I want to take you back home. Is that agreeable ? " 

" Shall we have the evening together ? " 

" No, not this evening ; I am flying across Paris to see my family 
in Compiegne, where they are waiting for me ; and for you, too, for 
they want to know you. The day after to-morrow, the Comman- 
dant and Heurtaux will be there and we shall dine together ; the Com- 
mandant and I have something to talk over. Will you come .? 

" All right, then, the day after to-morrow at the Cafe de la Paix at 
seven o'clock." 

Two days later found me at the rendezvous, and Commandant 
Brocard, who was then in Paris on a special mission of twenty-four 
hours, joined us there. 

"We are going to dine at the house of ." 

" Yes, all right. Commandant, I have had a telephone call from the 
lady. She has never forgotten Mouchard, and when I think of her, 
there is ever present before me the recollection of that dear friend 

C 136 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

looking at her photograph, for she is a truly beautiful and accom- 
plished woman." 

*' She has just received her second prize, did you know it ? " 

" No, but it does n't astonish me. Ah, here 's the kid himself. Let 's 
go. Heurtaux will join us at her house ; he knows her address." 

We got into Guynemer's machine, and ten minutes later we were 
there. We spent a most enjoyable evening, which I feel it would be 
indiscreet for me to describe, and at which Guynemer was at his best. 
The next day the Commandant left Paris and returned to his head- 
quarters. 

" And you, you kid," said the Commandant ; " did you finish your 
experiments ? " 

" Yes, Commandant, and I shall remain for forty-eight hours longer 
if the bad weather lasts, but if it clears up I shall come back immedi- 
ately. I am getting homesick for the Boche." Seeing the expression 
on my face, he added, " Don't be worried, Farre ; come and get me 
at the hotel to-morrow at nine o'clock ; I will leave word there for 
you. I shall not go away without posing for you once more." 

Alas ! I was never to see him again. The next day he was recalled 
by telephone. Eight days later, as I was coming out of the office of 
the Minister of War, I learned that, after a sortie made by Guyne- 
mer in company with one of his comrades of the Escadrille, he failed 
to return. The 1 1 th of September, 1917, was the last day of his stay 
in this world. He had gone out in reconnaissance about nine o'clock 
in the morning. 

I heard directly from Lieutenant Bozon-Verduraz, who was with 
him when he disappeared. Guynemer saw an enemy machine, and 
following his accustomed habit, he flew straight for it. All at once 
several hostile planes rose out of the clouds and came to the rescue of 
their comrade. " Realizing the risk he was running," said Lieutenant 
Bozon-Verduraz, " I myself attacked the new arrivals and succeeded 

C 137 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

in dispersing them. I then turned around and looked for my dear 
comrade. Alas ! In all the immensity of that sea of clouds, I could see 
no trace of Guynemer ; his plane had disappeared." 

Tales of prisoners give various accounts of his death, but they are not 
official, and it still remains shrouded in mystery. It would seem that 
the glory of the skies had been jealous of the glory of the earth, and 
had snatched up our hero into the ether — called him as Elijah was 
called in a chariot of fire — and the earth, that knew him once through- 
out its length and breadth, shall know him no more forever. 

Guynemer might have remained quietly at home, where he was 
coddled and loved, but his high sense of duty and his love of country 
impelled him ever to new achievement. With him it required almost 
as much courage to combat the hostility of the recruiting officers as 
to fight the enemy. Once at Compiegne, where he lived with his family, 
and twice at Bayonne, he asked the approval of his family to enter the 
service; but was always rejected by the recruiting officers on ac- 
count of his delicate and frail appearance. Nothing daunted by these 
rebuffs, he tried again and again. 

Provided with a letter of introduction to Captain Bernard Thierry, 
commanding the aviation school at Pau, he begged him to take him 
on. 

" Take me. Captain ; I will do anything that you ask me to do," he 
said. 

" Do you want to be a mechanic ? " said the Captain. " That is all I 
can offer you, but if you want that, you must lose no time about it ; 
you can come right away." 

" I am not a mechanic yet. Captain, but if you will kindly give me 
a word of introduction to the recruiting officer and say that I am ca- 
pable of doing the duties you designate, you wiU assist me very much 
in being accepted." 

" All right, I will be glad to do so ; I will give you a word to take 

I 138 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

along with you, and I hope soon to congratulate you upon your being 
taken on." 

George Guynemer was at last enlisted on November 23, 1914, 
as a volunteer for the duration of the war. His desire to serve his 
country in spite of every obstacle was at last realized, and he became 
a soldier. He led a rough life at the aviation school at Pau ; he did all 
the chores and hard work around the place, but did everything with 
absolute delight. He was an apprentice mechanic, and he loved me- 
chanics. " What more could I wish ? " he said ; " a mechanic's job may 
lead to anything if one only knows how to go about it." 

Finally he passed the examination for pilot and was accepted. On 
January 25, 1915, he became a pilot, and on June 8 he was detailed 
to the Stork Escadrille; on July 20 he was promoted to the rank of 
sergeant. On the 23d of the same month he was awarded the Military 
Medal with his first citation. 

On the day he reached his majority, December 24, 1915, — for he 
was bom on Christmas Eve, — he was made Chevalier of the Legion 
of Honor, and got his stripe as sub-heutenant on March 4, 1916. On 
the 1 8th of February following, when he was twenty-two years old, 
he was made a captain, and on the 25 th of May of that year, he sur- 
passed all his previous exploits by bringing down four Boche planes 
in one day. 

About August 30, 1917, his record showed fifty-three planes 
brought down, twenty-seven citations in general order, and two 
wounds ; besides, the number of his victories greatly exceeded the 
total of those officially confirmed — nearly a hundred, he told me one 
day while he was posing. 

The city of Compiegne did honor to the memory of its son in a 
splendid and imposing service conducted by the Bishop at the cathe- 
dral, where representatives of the army and of the Government were 
present. After this ceremony — in company with Captain Heurtaux, 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

who was convalescing from a new wound, and Lieutenant Raymond 
— I paid a visit to the family of Guynemer. 

George Guynemer was adored by his family, his parents and two 
sisters, and he was equally fond of them. He looked very much like 
his father, and although somewhat larger, he resembled him in his 
grace and slenderness of figure. He inherited his air of distinction 
from his mother. 

"You see," said Monsieur Guynemer, his father, showing me a 
large pile of letters received from the four quarters of the earth, "why 
I have not replied to yours. My wife and daughters beg you will 
excuse them ; they are completely prostrated ; the ceremony has over- 
whelmed them, but they hope to be down presently," A deep sad- 
ness showed in his face ; a dignified grief, intense but resigned, was 
portrayed in his drawn features. 

" We all felt," he went on, " when he left the last time, that he 
would never come back. We did not dare mention our fears — it was 
only afterwards that we talked about it, and expressed our feelings 
regarding his return. We think he must have had the same presenti- 
ment, because when he was leaving us, he did not appear as composed 
as usual. Dear boy, in spite of the war and what he passed through, 
he was still the same sweet child. Just before leaving he reproached 
his sisters for forgetting him, and charged them with not having pre- 
pared his room properly the night before. * You are neglecting me, 
young ladies,' he said. At home, whenever he went to bed, his sisters 
never failed to go and bid him good-night." 

" Monsieur Guynemer," I said, " I think you have on your desk a 
reproduction of the portrait I made of your son. You must like it." 

" Oh, extremely so, and I do not mean to flatter you when I assure 
you that it is the best that was ever made of him." 

*' Will you join me in undertaking a good work. Monsieur Guy- 
nemer?" 

C 140 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

" Very willingly, sir ; what must I do ? " 

" It is this. I am leaving in about three weeks for America, to show 
our allies over there what French aviation has done during the war. I 
have authority and permission from the Government to exhibit my 
pictures in every city in the United States ; and naturally I shall carry 
with me the portrait of your son. I want to sell copies of it for the 
benefit of aviation. Will you kindly autograph some of these as a sou- 
venir of him?" 

*' I shall be most happy to do so — but not to-day." 

*< Of course not, and it would n't be possible to-day, for I have n't 
made the pictures yet." 

" All right — next week, perhaps. Telegraph me twenty- four 
hours in advance of the hour of your coming, and I will be at home 
and alone, and you can take luncheon with me. Afterwards I will sign 
everything you want. I would like to add some of his souvenirs of the 
war, but we have n't yet had the courage to go into his room. When- 
ever he flew over Compiegne, he used to love to come down and just 
graze the roof of our house, so as to terrify his mother and sisters." 

His father told me many anecdotes of him, and was often forced 
to stop, overcome v^th emotion ; so this natural feeling prevented his 
keeping up continued conversation, but he did justice to the facts as 
he told them. 

" Don't you find comfort in your bereavement. Monsieur Guyne- 
mer, by the way all the world offers its homage to the heroism of 
your son ? " I asked him. 

Shaking his head sadly, and lifting his eyes to heaven, he said, " I 
would rather have my child." 

** Have you received any real official information ? " 

" None whatever — everything is mystery. The King of Spain 
himself sent me word that no reply had been made to his request" 
(for news of Guynemer) . 

[ 141 ] 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE 

On the occasion of the last citation of Guynemer, which was the 
26th, one given after his disappearance, the famous Stork Escadrille 
No. 3 was assembled on a beautiful day, shortly after the announce- 
ment of his death, to listen to a solemn reading of the last and sub- 
lime homage that the army offered their great hero who had disap- 
peared in the heights of the air and left no trace. Of dear friends 
whom I had known at Manoncourt and who had flown away and 
disappeared, Guynemer was the fourth. 

Captain Duval, photographic observer, had passed his examina- 
tion for pilot with the full intention of remaining with his friends, 
the Storks, but unfortunately he was not present on the field at this 
time. Right here I ought to give an account of his service, and 
show how his high sense of duty and devotion to his country aided 
him to accomplish more than was demanded by simple routine 
service. 

While an infantryman, he was wounded in the trenches, and almost 
lost one leg, but would not accept his retirement to the rear. He in- 
sisted upon doing duty as photographic observer in aviation. Attached 
to Escadrille No. 3, he was shortly afterwards dismissed, owing to 
the suppression of photography in fighting escadrilles ; so that, in 
order not to leave his friends, and in spite of his shortened leg, he be- 
came a pilot and remained with them. 

Not being appointed to take any special part in the ceremony, he 
requested permission of the Commandant to fly over the aviation 
field during the reading of the citation. 

"It will be a deep and sincere pleasure to me," he said, "and it 
will be symbolic and render visible — so to speak — the soul of Guy- 
nemer, who without doubt will be with us at that time." 

All the planes were drawn up in a sort of square on the aviation 
field, with all the pilots of the fighting group in the center. Standing 
by their planes, they formed a small square, in the center of which 



SKY FIGHTERS OF FRANCE. 

the Commandant placed himself, and facing the pilots, he said with 
an unsteady voice, "Trumpeters, sound colors." 

At the conclusion of the call, with a voice that he did his best to 
command, he recited a resume of the great qualities and exploits of 
the absent comrade, and concluded by reading the Posthumous Cita- 
tion, which ran as follows : 

" Fallen on the field of honor on September 11,1917. A legen- 
dary hero, fallen from the very zenith of Victory after three years' 
hard and continuous fighting. He will be considered the most perfect 
embodiment of the national qualities for his indomitable energy and 
perseverance and his exalted gallantry. Full of invincible belief in 
Victory, he has bequeathed to the French soldier an imperishable 
memory, which must add to his self-sacrificing spirit and will surely 
give rise to the noblest emulation." 

Captain Henry Duval flew over the aviation field at about two 
hundred meters ; in the middle of this solemn reading he was seen to 
lose control of his plane. His machine veered suddenly on one wing. 
Too near the ground to execute the maneuver required to reestablish 
his equilibrium, we saw him fall heavily and crash to earth, A hor- 
rible moment! Every one was stirred by that unfortunate acci- 
dent, but not a pilot moved or even looked ; they stood like statues 
of bronze. Only the Commandant stopped his reading, and, turning 
toward the unfortunate Duval, made him a military salute. 

Wonderful and tragic scene ! A human sacrifice that only the 
patriotic love of country could render possible. Everybody not in 
ranks immediately ran towards the new dead hero, killed in falling ; his 
soul had risen to join that of Guynemer, to heighten by example 
the courage of their comrades, to whom they left the task in which 
they themselves could no longer share. 

THE END 



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